Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said his country, a NATO member, was prepared “for any scenario” in Ukraine, but the best outcome would be for Russian troops to pull out and for peace negotiations to start.
Speaking from New York, the president said that Romania “has no plan to enter the war,” adding the situation in Ukraine was “very tense.”
Romania shares a border of more than 600 kilometers with Ukraine, longer than any other NATO member.
“As a NATO member, is ready for any scenario, only we don’t want any scenario,” he said.
”Nobody wants a war apart from Russia which attacked Ukraine, and the latest narrative is a threat more or less directly of a nuclear war against Europe.”
“This is not acceptable and (we) must be push back decisively,” he said late Friday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced a partial mobilization in Russia and has moved to annex four regions of Ukraine. He also threatened to use nuclear weapons in the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia has faced setbacks on the battlefield, with its forces pushed back by a Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Klaus Iohannis called referendums taking place in Ukraine “unacceptable and they won’t be recognized by practically no-one.”
”We can’t treat these threats lightly. As a NATO member, Romania is ready for any scenario, only we don’t want any scenario. The scenario we want is for Russia to pull out of Ukraine and peace negotiations. For this, everyone needs to get involved.”
”Romania has no plans to enter the war, just as NATO has no plans to enter the war (against) Russia.”
