For the United States, Romania is a key ally on NATO's eastern edge. Situated on the shores of the Black Sea and bordering, among other countries, Moldova and Ukraine, Romania is a strategic partner in the competition between the West and Russia for influence in the borderlands. And since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, Romania has joined Poland and the Baltic states in pushing for a greater U.S. and NATO presence in the region . In fact, Romania over the past few years has become one of the most pro-Western countries in Eastern Europe. Beginning in the mid-1990s, the United States and Romania developed a close working relationship, especially between the Romanian Intelligence Service and its U.S. counterparts.