Romania “is not preparing for war” and there are no signs that Russia plans to attack the country, the Chief of Defense Staff said, addressing public fears that the conflict in Ukraine could spread.
Security crisis
Gen. Daniel Petrescu said that while “we are living the most serious security crisis on the European continent probably since the end of the Second World War… we don’t have any indicator that the Russian Federation intends to attack a NATO state.”
„At the moment, Romania is not preparing for war…. I think this is already very clear, it should be obvious to everyone,” he said in an interview broadcast late Friday with broadcaster Antena 3.
Invasion
He acknowledged that it was „a very complicated period”, and the country was affected by Russia’s three-month month invasion in humanitarian, economic terms.
“But from a military point of view, as far as Romania is concerned, there is no threat at the moment.”
The biggest military threat for Romania at the moment are mines floating in the Black Sea near the coast, he said. The Navy is locating and defusing them so they don’t create a problem for navigation.
Black Sea
“Geography matters. We are more sensitive to what is happening in the Black Sea region, we are more sensitive to what is happening to our neighbors. But at the same time, the public must be aware that we are part of a security organization – the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation – and we have very clear and very strong security guarantees.”
Neither NATO nor Romania had been „caught unprepared” by the conflict in Ukraine, he insisted.
Longstanding neutrality
Romania isn’t the only country rattled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Finland and Sweden abandoned their longstanding neutrality and this week applied to join NATO.
Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Frisay said Moscow will create new military bases in the western part of the country, in what he described as “adequate countermeasures” to the Nordic countries move to join the Western military alliance.
