Romania’s foreign minister says there is no sign of a de-escalation of tensions along Ukraine’s borders after some Russian troops withdrew.
There needs to be “a complete” withdrawal by Russia, Bogdan Aurescu said on Wednesday.
Romania shares a 615-kilometer border with Ukraine, longer than any other NATO ally.
However, he appealed to Romanians not to worry about a being drawn into a military conflict “as it won’t happen.”
„As I said to the NATO Secretary-General, we need a confirmation about troop movement to determine whether we have withdrawal,” he said. “So far, what we see is hardware is staying put.”
Romania has brought back diplomats’ families from the embassy in Kiev and the consulate in Odessa. Fifteen staff members have remained in the embassy, while non-essential staff has been withdrawn.
The minister reassured Romanians saying the country was defended as a NATO member.
“If Russia starts a military conflict against Ukraine, Europe’s security situation will deteriorate.”
That will affect the military alliance “but there is no current danger of Romania or the The North Atlantic alliance getting involved militarily.
Bucharest is informed in real-time about developments and changes in the security situation, he said.
