Since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Romania has provided multiple tranches of defense assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
However, with few exceptions, the Romanian government has chosen not to disclose the volume or exact types of weapons and military equipment supplied. This policy was initially seen as a logical step to prevent russia from gaining insights into Ukraine’s available articles and quantities.
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At the same time, Romanian officials had previously expressed concerns that they had been too secretive about arms deliveries to Ukraine. For instance, ammunition marked with "Cugir" — identifying it as produced by the Mechanical Factory Cugir (Uzina Mecanică Cugir) — revealed the origin of deliveries regardless of official silence.
Furthermore, some in Bucharest argued that this secrecy benefited russia by allowing room for disinformation and manipulation.
Now, the issue has resurfaced at the highest level. Romanian Minister of National Defense Liviu-Ionuț Moșteanu, speaking to journalists from Defense Romania, indicated that the current policy of keeping arms transfers classified might soon be reconsidered.
"Romania has helped Ukraine a lot with Soviet-type military equipment. A new shipment will leave for Ukraine very soon," he said. In his view, Romania’s refusal to disclose even partial details about these supplies is doing more harm than good.
Firstly, he reiterated the argument that secrecy plays into the hands of russian propaganda, which promotes the narrative that Romanian politicians are "selling out the country" behind closed doors. Publishing at least some information about the volume and types of assistance, he argued, would help dispel these myths.
Secondly, the lack of transparency limits Romania's access to compensation under the so-called “ring exchange” mechanism initiated by Germany. For a reminder, it's when countries that send their older weapons to Ukraine receive newer systems in return — a win-win arrangement.
Romania has already benefited from this once, receiving a new Patriot system with a new 360-degree radar after transferring an older battery to Ukraine. With clearer records, similar exchanges could become more frequent.
Finally, Romanian officials believe that if Ukrainians knew the true extent of Bucharest’s support, public attitudes toward Romania in Ukraine would improve. Greater transparency, in this sense, could carry diplomatic as well as practical benefits.
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