Romanian presidential candidates spar over the war in Ukraine, in Euronews Romania’s fiery debate

Romanian statesmanlike candidates Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan and AUR statement leader George Simion person offered sharply differing attitudes to support for Ukraine successful their first tv debate, hosted by Euronews Romania.

The Romanian predetermination is viewed arsenic existential for nan country's future, but it will besides effect Central and Eastern Europe and nan EU arsenic a whole. The bloc is struggling to support a unified statement of support for Ukraine and ramp up nan continent’s defence capacity successful nan look of vacillating support from US President Donald Trump.

Hard-right frontrunner Simion, who secured 40.5% of nan votes successful nan repetition contest’s first information held connected Sunday, cited information suggesting much than six cardinal Romanians are moving abroad. “EU costs should not spell to Ukraine, to anyone different than European citizens, to Romanians and Romanians' children,” he told an assemblage of supporters of nan 2 candidates successful nan Aula Magna of nan Polytechnic University of Romania, adding: “We spot Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis connected nan streets of Romania. Third world citizens travel and our citizens leave.”

Asked by statement moderators Andra Diaconescu, editor-in-chief of Euronews Romania, and Monica Mihai, Euronews’ governmental editor, really he would ballot for a caller assistance package for Ukraine if he represented Romania successful nan EU Council, Simion replied: “My state is Romania, I will ballot only successful accordance pinch nan interests of nan Romanian federation and without prioritizing different states.”

He stated that his position “towards Russia's warfare of aggression is neutrality, not escalation, not feeding pinch weapons, and cleanable alignment pinch nan policies of our strategical partner, nan Trump administration.”

For defence, he told nan audience, “we person NATO not nan EU, nan EU has different tasks than security."

Meanwhile Bucharest politician and independent campaigner Nicușor Dan, who came successful 2nd aft leapfrogging nan ruling large shelter campaigner Crin Antonescu successful a melodramatic decorativeness to Sunday's ballot count, maintained his powerfully pro-European positions.

On really he would ballot successful nan Council connected support for Ukraine, Dan said Romania and Moldova’s information depends crucially connected really nan warfare successful Ukraine will end. “Russia is nan aggressor, location needs to beryllium a conscionable bid that suits Ukraine, different we are giving measurement to further location tensions.”

“Romania's information successful nan EU's rearmament programme is important, but portion of nan costs must travel to Romania for our economical development,” Dan said.

Dan put Simion connected nan spot, asking him if Romania would ballot against EU support for Ukraine nether his leadership.

“I was very clear, I will put Romania’s interests first. The EU does not beryllium arsenic an entity, but of 27 states which constitute nan EU. Our position must beryllium successful our nationalist interest, not connected our knees,” said Simion.

“So pinch a Romania led by Simion, Romania will artifact support for Ukraine,” Dan affirmed, while Simion deed back: “Romania will not springiness 1 cent for different country, but we will ore connected our ain population.”

Both candidates condemned Putin’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine however. With Simion adding that nan Russian president “must beryllium arrested for warfare crimes”, he added that “I believe to God this warfare ends” and that “the Russian Federation feeds connected chaos and stiff conflicts.”

However, erstwhile pressed by nan Euronews Romania journalists astir Russian disinformation campaigns, including narratives connected purported oppression of nationalist minorities successful Ukraine, Simion repeated his ain long-standing position connected nan business of taste Romanians successful Ukraine: “Ukraine needs us, not america them, truthful they request to respect nan nationalist authorities of nan half of cardinal of Romanians surviving successful Ukraine. And we want compensation of Romania’s information to nan warfare effort.”

Simion past appealed to Romanian mothers “not to nonstop their children to war”, while Dan insisted that “You person to forestall a warfare truthful that nan mothers he mentions don't person to nonstop their children to war.”

Elsewhere successful nan debate Simion touted respect for Hungary’s Viktor Orban during nan debate, saying: “It’s clip for a Europe of nations, of Christians, we will conflict for our correct to beryllium European citizens.”

Dan meantime lamented Romania’s deficiency of mentation for nan hybrid warfare that led to nan annulment of nan earlier election.

He said that nan Romanian authorities must activity pinch firms that are world leaders successful cyber security, adding: “We request to tie connected nan acquisition of our brothers successful Moldova because they were subjected to a hybrid onslaught successful nan erstwhile elections and managed to power it, but Romania didn’t.”