Romanian PM opposes sending Romanian troops to Ukraine

Marcel Ciolacu, Romania's Prime Minister and head of the Social Democratic Party, said on Wednesday, 26 February, that he opposes the deployment of Romanian troops to Ukraine.

According to Digi24, the statement was made in the context of consultations initiated at the presidential palace by acting President Ilie Bolojan with leaders of parliamentary parties and groups to prepare Romania's position at an extraordinary meeting of the European Council on 6 March in Brussels.

"No to sending Romanian troops to Ukraine, yes to additional allocations for defence, but only in the form of investments in the national arms industry and to increase military mobility (modernisation of railway, road and port infrastructure that can be used in a dual regime); exclusion of defence spending from the calculation of the budget deficit," Ciolacu said.

Ciolacu said that this is the party's position in the negotiations at the presidential palace.

Acting President Ilie Bolojan said on Tuesday, 25 February, that he had invited the parties to consultations. The European Council's extraordinary meeting on 6 March is likely to take decisions that will have a direct impact on European foreign policy and defence and, therefore, require Romania to take action.

Bolojan said that the European Council's agenda includes European defence policy, support for Ukraine and increasing budgets for military spending.

Romanian presidential candidate, nominated by the parties of the Romanian government coalition, Crin Antonescu, said he was against sending Romanian troops to Ukraine.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is to present a plan to deploy up to 30,000 European troops to Ukraine to US President Donald Trump this week.