In a telephone call today, the Vice President spoke with Romanian President Traian Basescu about tensions in Ukraine and the broader region as a result of Russia’s military actions. The two leaders consulted on next steps to support Ukraine, including to the OSCE monitoring mission, as well as the need to intensify sanctions against Russia should it continue on the current course. The Vice President also reaffirmed our steadfast commitment to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and agreed on the need to take additional steps to collectively strengthen our Alliance defenses.