Romanian centrist presidency candidate wants to spend more on defence, keep backing Ukraine
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - A pro-European presidential contender in Romania's May 4 election has said defence spending should rise to 3.5% of GDP by 2030 from 2.5% and argued that maintaining support for Ukraine in its war with Russia is essential for Romania's security.
Nicusor Dan, the 55-year-old two-term mayor of Bucharest, is an independent running neck-and-neck with ruling coalition centrist Crin Antonescu and nationalist former prime minister Victor Ponta in a bid to reach a runoff on May 18, alongside the hard-right frontrunner George Simion.
Dan is running on an anti-corruption platform, something also likely to find favour with European Union and NATO allies as Romania assumes growing importance as a bulwark against Russian influence on the border with Ukraine and Moldova, another state under pressure from Moscow.
"I want to underline that the war in Ukraine is essential for the security of Romania and Moldova," Dan told Reuters in an interview.
"I appreciate what the Romanian state has done so far, the direction ... was correct and must continue."
The election is being closely watched abroad after being cancelled in December, before the runoff, amid accusations of Russian meddling, which Moscow denies.
The first round had been won by a far-right pro-Russia newcomer, Calin Georgescu, who has since been banned from running again as he faces a criminal investigation over his support for fascist groupings and campaign funding issues.
Dan said the Constitutional Court decision to cancel the election, which has been criticised by members of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, had been correct.
Concerns are growing that the U.S. is set to cut troop numbers across Europe, demanding that European countries take more of the burden of maintaining the NATO alliance's security umbrella.
Romania has donated a Patriot air defence battery to Kyiv, is training Ukrainian fighter pilots and has enabled the export of roughly 30 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta since the war began in 2022.
Around 1,700 U.S. troops are currently stationed in Romania, most at the Kogalniceanu air base on the Black Sea, into which Bucharest is investing 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion) to turn it into one of NATO's biggest European bases.
Dan said Romania could use the base as a lever to encourage the U.S. to maintain its presence:
"That American troops are using the Kogalniceanu air base is an advantage for them for the influence they want to have in the Middle East," Dan said.
"Beyond that, everything depends on technical discussions. If Romania can do something (to keep the U.S. troops) we want to do that."
He also said Romania should continue to facilitate Ukrainian grain exports, but must consult with Romanian producers so they were not disadvantaged.
($1 = 0.8788 euros)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
3 minutes ago
- UPI
Trump, Starmer to meet in Scotland to talk trade, Gaza
President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain at the White House in Washington, D.C., on February 27. The pair are to meet Monday at Trump's Scotland golf course where they are expected to talk trade and the war in Gaza. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI. | License Photo July 28 (UPI) -- U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland on Monday when the Western leaders are expected to discuss cease-fire plans for the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Starmer is to travel to Trump's golf course in Turnberry where the American president on Sunday announced a new trade deal with the European Union. According to a statement from 10 Downing Street, Trump and Starmer are to have "wide-ranging" one-on-one talks, including on the implementation of the Economic Prosperity Deal that the pair signed on May 8 and which came into effect last month. Starmer is also expected to discuss with Trump "what more can be done to secure the cease-fire urgently, bring an end to the unspeakable suffering and starvation in Gaza and free the hostages who have been held so cruelly for so long." Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has sought a cease-fire and hostage-release deal in the war in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza between Iran-poxy militia Hamas and Israel, but has repeatedly been met with obstacles. On Thursday, Israel and the United States recalled their negotiators, ending talks with Hamas that had initially sparked optimism that a deal could be reached. The Trump administration has blamed Hamas for the breakdown, with Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, stating the Iran-backed militia's latest response "clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a cease-fire in Gaza." "It's a shame Hamas has acted in this selfish way," he said in a statement. The Trump-Starmer meeting comes amid a deteriorating situation in Gaza where aid agencies are warning of starvation. Israel has announced a so-called tactical pause to fighting in specific areas to allow the delivery of aid between the hours of 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., local time, on Sunday. The announcement came as the Middle Eastern country is coming under mounting international pressure over its war in Gaza and its restrictions on aid entering the territory. According to the Save the Children charity, 133 people, including 87 children, have already died from malnutrition and starvation. Britain is among 30 nations that are calling for the war in Gaza to end, describing Israel's aid delivery model as "dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity." "We condemn the drip-feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food," the nations said in the joint statement, which calls on Israel to lift the restrictions on the flow of aid. "The Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law." Britain, France and Germany separately over the weekend issued a statement calling for Israel and Hamas to end the conflict "by reaching an immediate cease-fire." Trump and Starmer are also expected to discuss the war in Ukraine. After the meeting, they will have a private engagement in Aberdeen, 10 Downing Street said. The meeting also comes ahead of Trump being received for a State Visit hosted by King Charles III at Windsor Castle from Sept. 17 to 19. It will be Trump's second State Visit after a previous trip in 2019 where he was hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The Hill
32 minutes ago
- The Hill
Asian shares are mixed after Wall Street sets more records for US stocks
BANGKOK (AP) — Stock markets in Asia were mixed on Monday after U.S. stocks rose to more records as they closed out another winning week. U.S. futures and oil prices were higher ahead of trade talks in Stockholm between U.S. and Chinese officials. European futures rose after the European Union forged a deal with the Trump administration calling for 15% tariffs on most exports to the U.S. The agreement announced after President Donald Trump and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen met briefly at Trump's Turnberry golf course in Scotland staves off far higher import duties on both sides that might have sent shock waves through economies around the globe. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index lost 1% to 41,056.81 after doubts surfaced over what exactly the trade truce between Japan and U.S. President Donald Trump, especially the $550 billion pledge of investment in the U.S. by Japan, will entail. Terms of the deal are still being negotiated and nothing has been formalized in writing, said an official, who insisted on anonymity to detail the terms of the talks. The official suggested the goal was for a $550 billion fund to make investments at Trump's direction. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 0.4% to 25,490.45 while the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.2% to 3,587.25. Taiwan's Taiex rose 0.3%. CK Hutchison, a Hong Kong conglomerate that's selling ports at the Panama Canal, said it may seek a Chinese investor to join a consortium of buyers in a move that might please Beijing but could also bring more U.S. scrutiny to a geopolitically fraught deal. CK Hutchison's shares fell 0.6% on Monday in Hong Kong. Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea's Kospi was little changed at 3,195.49, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.3% to 8,688.40. India's Sensex slipped 0.1%. Markets in Thailand were closed for a holiday. On Friday, the S&P 500 rose 0.4% to 6,388.64, setting an all-time for the fifth time in a week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.5% to 44,901.92, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.2%, closing at 21,108.32 to top its own record. Deckers, the company behind Ugg boots and Hoka shoes, jumped 11.3% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the spring than analysts expected. Its growth was particularly strong outside the United States, where revenue soared nearly 50%. But Intell fell 8.5% after reporting a loss for the latest quarter, when analysts were looking for a profit. The struggling chipmaker also said it would cut thousands of jobs and eliminate other expenses as it tries to turn around its fortunes. Intel, which helped launch Silicon Valley as the U.S. technology hub, has fallen behind rivals like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices while demand for artificial intelligence chips soars. Companies are under pressure to deliver solid growth in profits to justify big gains for their stock prices, which have rallied to record after record in recent weeks. Wall Street has zoomed higher on hopes that President Donald Trump will reach trade deals with other countries that will lower his stiff proposed tariffs, along with the risk that they could cause a recession and drive up inflation. Trump has recently announced deals with Japan and the Philippines, and the next big deadline is looming on Friday, Aug. 1. Apart from trade talks, this week will also feature a meeting by the Federal Reserve on interest rates. Trump again on Thursday lobbied the Fed to cut rates, which he has implied could save the U.S. government money on its debt repayments. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said he is waiting for more data about how Trump's tariffs affect the economy and inflation before making a move. The widespread expectation on Wall Street is that the Fed will wait until September to resume cutting interest rates. In other dealings early Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 24 cents to $65.40 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, also added 24 cents to $67.90 per barrel. The dollar rose to 147.72 Japanese yen from 147.71 yen. The euro slipped to $1.1755 from $1.1758.
Business Insider
33 minutes ago
- Business Insider
A Russian airline that used to ferry passengers to Europe is now flying to North Korea instead
Nordwind Airlines, a Russian carrier that previously serviced routes to Europe, is now flying its country's first direct flight from Moscow to Pyongyang in decades. The new eight-hour Boeing 777 flight, which launched on Sunday, comes as Russia and North Korea have rapidly strengthened ties amid the war in Ukraine. State media outlet TASS reported that Russian authorities gave Nordwind permission in early July to fly to North Korea, and that the airline is expected to run flights once a month to Pyongyang. Russia's transport ministry said in a Sunday statement that the new route was a first for Moscow in 77 years. "For the first time in more than 70 years of diplomatic relations, we are launching direct flights between the capitals of our countries," Vladimir Poteshkin, Russia's deputy transport minister, was quoted as saying in the statement. Nordwind previously operated dozens of international routes, including to Spain, Germany, the Maldives, Mexico, and Thailand. But almost all have been shut down as Russia's international relations broke down after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The European Union bans Russian flights, while many Russian airlines have also closed their international operations. Nordwind, which lists a fleet of Boeing and Airbus planes on its website, has been mostly operating domestic routes in the meantime. Its first flight to North Korea left Moscow at 7:25 p.m. on Sunday and arrived in Pyongyang at 3:30 a.m., according to the Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport's flight tracker. A return flight is scheduled for Tuesday. TASS reported that both flights, with tickets costing about $550, were fully booked. While this is the first 21st-century flight between both capitals, Russians could already fly to North Korea before this. A North Korean airline, Air Koryo, operates flights from Pyongyang to Vladivostok, a Russian city on the Sea of Japan that's roughly 80 miles from North Korea. The newest flight is a further sign of rapport between Russia and North Korea, the latter of which has been supplying the Kremlin with troops, weapons, and ammunition to maintain its offensive pace in Ukraine. The partnership is sparking deep concern in the West and South Korea, which fear the arrangement is bolstering the technical expertise and resources of North Korea's military. Nordwind's cross-capital flight also comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pushed hard to reopen his country to international tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, he unveiled a massive beachfront resort that appeared to feature hotels, apartments, shopping malls, and a water park.
