U.S. approves $7.2 billion F‑35 sale to Romania amid Ukraine tensions

The United States approved the sale of 32 F-35 stealth fighters to Romania for $7.2 billion, the U.S. State Department announced in a statement on Friday. This contract still needs to be approved by Congress.

"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is an important force for political and economic stability in Europe," the statement said.

This week, Ukrainian pilots began training on F-16 aircraft at a special center in Romania.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Thursday with his Romanian counterpart Luminița Odobescu and thanked Bucharest for providing Ukraine with the Patriot missile defense system.

The F-35 is the result of the Joint Strike Fighter program initiated in 1993, through which a joint combat aircraft was created for three branches of the U.S. Armed Forces – the Air Force, the Navy, and the Marine Corps. The basic version is the F-35A, intended for the Air Force. The F-35B is the most complex version, adapted for short takeoff and vertical landing, with the main user being the U.S. Marine Corps (as well as aircraft carriers outside the U.S.). The F-35C, on the other hand, is designed for catapult-assisted takeoff and landing on aircraft carriers, used by the U.S. Navy.