Presidential frontrunner Georgescu says he’ll bar Ukrainian grain exports via Romania

Romanian independent far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu poses for a portrait following an interview with Reuters in Izvorani, near Bucharest Romania, December 4, 2024. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

PARIS, December 4, 2024 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Romania’s far-right presidential frontrunner said on Wednesday he will bar continued Ukrainian grain exports through Romania and further military aid to Kyiv if elected, and that Bucharest is not obligated to stick to NATO’s defence spending commitments.

Speaking to Reuters in an interview ahead of a presidential run – off vote on Sunday, ultranationalist Calin Georgescu also questioned the effectiveness of European Union funding and said Romanian’s interests would come first should he win.

If Georgescu defeats pro-European centrist Elena Lasconi in the run – off, Romanian could become isolated on the West’s eastern flank and its key support within NATO for Ukraine against Russia’s 2022 invasion could collapse.

Since Russia attacked Ukraine has helped export millions of tons of Ukrainian grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta, trained Ukrainian fighter pilots and donated a Patriot air defence battery to Kyiv.

All of that will stop should he win, Georgescu said.

“How could I agree that? It is impossible. Romanian and the Romanian people come first”.

“It is unimaginable that there be a war next to us in the middle of Europe, so a priority will definitely be that this war in Ukraine must immediately be stopped”.

Romanian, a European Union and NATO member state, shares a 650 – km (400 – mile) boarder with Ukraine and hosts a U.S. ballistic missile defence system and a permanent NATO battle group – which Georgescu said were not among his priorities.

NATO DEFENCE SPENDING PLEDGE “ULTRA-SECONDARY”

Asked if he backed NATO’s unfulfilled pledge that each member state spend 2% of GDP on defence annually, a stance held by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, whom Georgescu admires, he said: “This is ultra-secondary, I am not even interested”.

“The concern of the Romanian people is to be happy. They cannot be happy spending money on  other things. If NATO is defensive, then it should remain defensive. I believe one thing – Romanian has an obligation to no one”.

Romanian’s Social Democrat – led government has pledged to raise defence spending to 2.5% of economic output.

Georgescu also said he would appoint a prime minister from a parliamentary majority arising from the Dec. 1 parliamentary election. He also said Romanian companies should own a majority in any ventures with foreign investors.

“The decision – making must remain in Romania, not with foreigners. By law any Romanian entrepreneur will have 51% of any deal”.

Georgescu has criticized past privatization of state assets, particularly in the energy sector. Asked how he viewed a Black Sea offshore has project jointly held by Austria’s OMV Petrom and state gas producer Romgaz – counted on as one of the key alternatives to remaining Russian supplies to Europe, Georgescu said, “I prefer not to see it, but I will from Dec.9”.

[REUTERS]