Crin Antonescu, the ruling coalition's joint candidate for the presidency, ruled out the possibility of Romania sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine as part of an international effort.

"If I become president, we will not send troops to Ukraine. Period. We will continue to support Ukraine logistically and politically," Antonescu stated in a Facebook post.

Reiterating his long-held position, he emphasized that Romania should not deploy soldiers under any circumstances. 

"Romania must not send troops to Ukraine. Neither soldiers nor peacekeeping forces. I said this three years ago, and I have not changed my opinion one bit," Antonescu said.

In the same post, he added, "We must not rush into post-war commitments when even a ceasefire agreement has not yet been outlined."

His statement came ahead of Wednesday's consultations at the Cotroceni Palace, where Romanian political leaders, convened by acting president Ilie Bolojan, discuss the country's stance at the upcoming European Council meeting on March 6. The agenda includes continued support for Ukraine and increasing defense spending.

The president of far-right opposition party AUR, George Simion, stated before the consultations with Ilie Bolojan that "no Romanian soldier should be sent to Ukraine," Digi24 reported.

Also, after talking with acting president Ilie Bolojan, prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Facebook that one of the proposals made by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) at the consultations included not sending Romanian troops to Ukraine. At the same time, the party agrees with additional defense allocations, "but only in the form of investments in the national arms industry and for enhancing military mobility (modernization of railways, road, and port infrastructure that can be used in a dual-use regime)."

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Calin)