U.S. Defense Secretary visits Romania amid Black Sea tour

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is visiting Romania Wednesday as part of a three-country tour to reassure Black Sea allies on security issues amid ongoing tensions with Russia.. He met Romanian officials Wednesday and visited an eastern airbase. “The security and stability of the Black Sea are in the U.S.’s national interest and are critical to the security of NATO’s eastern flank,” Austin said. “The region, it goes without saying, is vulnerable to Russian aggression.”