Romania President Traian Basescu calls on EU, NATO allies to provide weapons to Ukrainian army, says financial, military, energy sanctions on Russia are needed
President Traian Basescu said at at a meeting with Romanian ambassadors on Friday that a major escalation of Russian acts in favor of separatists in East Ukraine was obvious and that there was a risk that the balance turned in favor of the Russian Federation. He said that at the European Council on Saturday he would call for the strengthening of the sanctions already decided on Russia, in the financial, energy and military sectors.
Basescu also called on EU, NATO allies to start providing weapons to Ukrainain troops in order to counteract Russia’s involvement with separatist militias in Eastern and South-Eastern Ukraine. He said democratic states should overcome the phase of stating their good intentions.
He also provided a view on Romania’s position at the upcoming NATO summit in Wales, saying Romania will push for the strengthening of NATO’s eastern borders, with an increased NATO presence in the Bleack Sea.
He did not clearly name Vladimir Putin when he said that „the ideas of a sick man who believes he can remake the Soviet areas of influence” must be discouraged. And Basescu said Romania did not face danger in a „rational manner”, but it should prepare „for the irrational” as well.