The Romanian presidential candidates Bucharest, the mayor of Bucharest, Sucușor Dan and the party leader Aur, George Sion, offered strongly different attitudes with regard to support for Ukraine in their first televised debate, organized by Euronews Romania.
The Romanian election is considered existential for the future of the country, but it will also have an impact on central and eastern Europe and the EU as a whole. The block is struggling to maintain a unified support line for Ukraine and accelerate the continent's defense capacity to obtain the support of US President Donald Trump.
The favorite on the right Simion, which obtained 40.5% of the votes in the first round of the competition repeated on Sunday, cited data suggesting that more than six million Romanians work abroad.
“EU funds should not go to Ukraine, anyone else other than European citizens, Romanian and Romanian children,” he told an audience of supporters of the two Aula Magna candidates from the Polytechnic University of Romania, adding: “We see Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis in the streets of Romania.
Questioned by the moderators of debate Andra Diaconescu, the editor -in -chief of Euronews Romania and Monica Mihai, political editor of Euronews, how he would vote for a new aid package for Ukraine if Romania represented the EU council, Simion replied: “My country is in Romania, I will only vote with the interests of the Romanian nation.
He declared that his position “towards the war of aggression of Russia is neutrality, not climbing, and not nourishing it with the weapons and the perfect alignment on the policies of our strategic partner, the Trump administration”.
For the defense, he told the public: “We do not have NATO, the EU, the EU has other tasks than security.”
Meanwhile, the mayor of Bucharest and independent candidate, Sucușor Dan, who arrived second after having exceeded the candidate in power in power, Crin Antonescu, in a dramatic end of the number of voices on Sunday, maintained his strongly pro-European positions.
On the way he would vote on the support of Ukraine support, Dan said that the security of Romania and Moldovia crucially depends on the end of the war in Ukraine. “Russia is the attacker, there must be a just peace that suits Ukraine, otherwise we give way to new regional tensions.”
“Romania's participation in the EU rearmament program is important, but part of the funds must come to Romania for our economic development,” said Dan.
Dan Mis Simion on the spot, asking him if Romania would vote against the EU support to Ukraine under his direction.
“I was very clear, I will put the interests of Romania first. The EU does not exist as an entity, but of 27 states that make up the EU. Our position must be in our national interest, not on their knees, “said Simion.
“Thus, with Romania led by Simion, Romania will block support for Ukraine,” said Dan, while Simion retaliated: “Romania will not give a penny for another country, but we will focus on our own population.”
The two candidates, however, condemned the large -scale invasion of Ukraine Putin. With Sion adding that the Russian president “must be arrested for war crimes”, he added that “I pray to God this war ends” and that “the Russian Federation feeds on chaos and frozen conflicts”.
However, when they are pressed by Romanian Euronews journalists on Russian disinformation campaigns, including the alleged oppression of national minorities in Ukraine, Simion has repeated its own long -standing vision on the situation of ethnic Romanians in Ukraine: “Ukraine needs states of war effort. »»
ADVERTISEMENTSimion then called on the Romanian mothers “not sending their children at war”, while Dan insisted that “you must prevent a war so that the mothers he mentions do not have to send their children to war”.
Elsewhere in the debate, Simion praised respect for the Viktor Orban of Hungary during the debate, saying: “It is time for a Europe of nations, Christians, we will fight for our law to be European citizens.”
Meanwhile, Dan deplored the lack of preparation for Romania for the hybrid war which led to the cancellation of previous elections.
He said that the Romanian state had to work with companies that are global cybersecurity leaders, adding: “We have to rely on the experience of our brothers in Moldova because they were subjected to a hybrid attack in previous elections and managed to control it, but Romania did not do it.”
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