Romania’s foreign ministry has responded to accusations by the Russian President Vladimir Putin that it manipulated elections, accusing Moscow itself of trying to illegally sway the vote in recent Romanian and Moldovan elections.
The foreign ministry came back at claims made by Putin who said Romania had “manipulated the will of the people” during statements given at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi.
“We will never accept lessons about democracy, elections, or press freedom coming from Moscow,” Romanian foreign ministry spokesman, Andre Tarnea said, slamming Russia for meddling in 2024 presidential elections and recent Moldova elections, which pro-Western government decisively won.
“Russia has interfered in electoral processes and tried to influence elections in Romania, as it has recently tried in the Republic of Moldova. It does it systematically. It failed because the citizens of these countries prefer other values and perspectives. We have said very clearly previously that we will never accept lessons about democracy, elections or press freedom from Moscow,” Andrei Tarnea, Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday,
“A country, an aggressor of a sovereign neighbor, that tries to annex its territories in a brutal war of conquest, that commits war crimes, that sends its citizens to their deaths in the hundreds of thousands, where the opposition is assassinated a stone’s throw from the Kremlin and where there is no independent press or freedom of expression, is not in a position to give lessons to anyone,” he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Romania and the European Union for election results in Romania and Moldova where pro-Western leaders and parties won.
In a speech at the Valdai Club, a conference outlining the directions of Russian propaganda, Putin referred to Romanian presidential elections canceled over alleged Russian interference. The Kremlin has denied meddling.
“Western political regimes are not willing to give up power, openly deceiving their own citizens, escalating the situation externally, and resorting to all sorts of tricks in their own countries – increasingly pushing the limits of the law, if not beyond. However, endlessly transforming democratic electoral procedures into a farce and manipulating the will of the people, as happened, for example, in Romania, will not work…,” said Vladimir Putin during an intervention at the event.
Also related to Russia, Foreign Minister Oana Toiu on Friday said that Romania had taken “a decisive step to strengthen international sanctions against Russia. The Romanian Foreign Ministry , co-initiated a new law adopted by the Government that transforms sanctions violations and circumvention from an administrative offence into a serious crime. Our message is clear: zero tolerance for anyone aiding Russia’s illegal aggression. We are fully committed to upholding our international obligations,” he said.
“This is more than aligning with EU directives; it’s about being on the right side of history. Romania will not be a weak link in the democratic world’s united front. As a pillar of stability on the Eastern Flank, we are committed to choking off the resources that fuel this brutal war and defending the international rules-based order,” she said on X.
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