Update: On Monday, April 7, prime minister Marcel Ciolacu posted a message on Facebook saying that that Dragoș Sprînceană is not his envoy and that his statements do not represent the position of the Romanian state.
The prime minister's clarifications come after the businessman made a series of controversial statements saying that the Trump administration should ignore Romania's pro-Ukraine and pro-France messaging. Previously, Ciolacu had acknowledged mandating two envoys to the United States to establish a connection with the new administration at the White House. He also admitted that that Sprînceană was one of them.
"The opinions expressed in the public space by various Romanian citizens who have no official status are purely personal and do not imply a position of the Romanian state. Romania's official positions are always communicated through institutional channels, in close coordination with the Presidency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Marcel Ciolacu said.
"The priorities of Romanian foreign policy therefore remain unchanged. There is no ‘Ciolacu envoy,’ but there are many Romanians from the diaspora – entrepreneurs, doctors, IT specialists, etc., with whom I have spoken recently and who have shown themselves willing to open various communication channels based on the connections they have both in the United States and in Europe," he added.
Initial story: Dragoș Sprînceană, one of the special envoys recently appointed by the Romanian government to the Trump administration, claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron wants the war in Ukraine to continue and that the American administration should “ignore a bit Romania’s pro-Ukraine and pro-France messages,” since Romania currently has an interim president “who won’t matter in a month and a half.”
Sprînceană, 45, expressed several positions regarding foreign affairs that are contradictory to the official stances expressed by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and interim president Ilie Bolojan. The latter two are the official institutions charged with the country’s foreign affairs, while the government “envoys” are a recent, and largely unofficial, innovation.
“I’m not a fan of President Macron, and I believe 99% of Republicans in the US aren’t either. That doesn’t mean Mr. Macron represents the European Union. I believe the values of the EU are completely different from what Mr. Macron is currently trying to do. The United States very much wants to stop the war in Ukraine. Mr. Macron wants the continuation of this war in Ukraine,” Sprînceană said in an interview for Digi24.
In reality, France and other EU countries offered support to Ukraine in the form of funds and military equipment to counter the Russian invasion. They also called for peace negotiations that are fair to Ukraine, unlike the Trump administration, which has negotiated with Russia directly.
“As long as Romania aligns itself with these directions, let’s say, through certain declarations of some individuals, the United States won’t be thrilled. We all want 2,000 people in Ukraine to stop dying every week. Romania should want the same thing. We all want the war to end, to bring back economic prosperity at a European, global, and American level. Romania should want the same thing. As long as the war continues, Romania will not be doing well economically,” Sprînceană continued.
The government-appointed envoy also claimed to have the backing of prime minister Marcel Ciolacu several times, but also contradicted himself repeatedly.
Nevertheless, the businessman maintained that “we have to wait until we have a new president. We need to wait for a stable administration in Romania and then resume bilateral communication, economic, political, and strategic ties after these elections. That is the smartest message and the one that helps Romania the most, in my opinion. And that’s exactly what the United States is doing now, if you notice,” the businessman continued.
The Romanian government has struggled in recent months to establish communication with the Trump administration, especially after the annulment of the presidential elections. Last week, prime minister Ciolacu said that while Romania does not have laws for lobbying, he asked Dragoș Sprînceană to convey to those close to Trump “the truth about Romania.” His appointment can also be seen as a snub to foreign minister Emil Hurezeanu, whom Ciolacu has criticized repeatedly.
Moreover, by appointing Sprînceană, the prime minister "usurped the president's duties," according to former president Traian Băsescu. "High-level relations with other states are handled by the president of the country and ambassadors are representatives of the president, not the prime minister. The fact that he publicly announced that he nominated some emissaries for… it’s not very clear for what, but he nominated them, simply puts Romania in an embarrassing situation,” Traian Băsescu further stated," cited by Digi24.
Sprînceană is from Constanța, where he graduated from the Faculty of Financial and Accounting Management. He emigrated to the United States in 2002, and his first job was as a security guard at a resort, and now works in the transportation industry.
On his X profile, the businessman expresses clear anti-European and anti-Ukraine views. He reposted several pieces of news about the Tate brothers' visit to the U.S., as well as segments from Călin Georgescu’s speeches. “I couldn’t agree more. 100% true,” Sprînceană wrote in a post on January 31, where Georgescu claims that Zelensky is "a semi-dictator who has put his personal interests ahead of Ukraine’s."
(Photo source: Dragos Sprînceană on X)
