In Brussels, acting President Bolojan says Romania not to send troops to Ukraine

Romania will not send military troops to Ukraine, but it can be, if necessary, a "logistical hub" for other troops, said Acting President Ilie Bolojan on Thursday after the European Council.He said that, most likely, the heads of defense from Romania would be at the meeting in Paris convened by French President Emanuel Macron.The interim president indicated that the Romanian representatives would be in Paris not because Romania will send ground troops, but because "Romania is a logistical hub so that these troops can reach, if necessary, the Ukrainian area".Europe will assume a much greater role in its own defense, by allocating funds for security and defense, the Acting President Ilie Bolojan said after Thursday's European Council.According to the Romanian head of state, the leaders of the European Union countries proposed that for all EU states there should be the possibility of the safeguard clause so that the balances of the states would not be affected by the additional defense expenditures.Bolojan added that, within this framework, there would be a fund of 150 billion euros, in the form of a loan supported by the EU budget, at the disposal of the states, for defense expenditures.The EU leaders also established the reinforcement of the Eastern Flank from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, added the interim president.   Interim President Ilie Bolojan on Thursday said that he does not see "a big problem" with making public the costs of the assistance provided by Romania to Ukraine."From my point of view, Romania has done in these years what it had to do not only to support a victim of aggression, but also to ensure that the danger remains as far away as possible from our borders. I will discuss in the upcoming period to see if an evaluation of these costs has been made (...). For example, I do not see a big problem if they are made public, because just like the support the European Union provided is transparent support, partly credits, meaning loans, partly grants, I think this can be announced as well, but it wasn't, let's say, strictly a priority in this short period of almost three weeks," said Ilie Bolojan at the end of the special meeting of the European Council.He added that his activity had focused on challenges in foreign policy.    Interim president Ilie Bolojan also said on Thursday that a meeting of the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT) will be convened on security and defence issues after the meeting of army chiefs from European countries in Paris, adding that it will not deal with issues related to the annulment of the presidential elections."After the meeting related to military issues takes place, I think it is necessary to convene a Council, which is an ordinary one anyway, in the first quarter of this year, in such a way that we can see if there are any implications that fall within the CSAT's duties. But convening CSAT will be related to security and defence issues," said Bolojan, in Brussels, at the end of the special meeting of the European Council.He said that, so far, there is no additional element that would lead to CSAT being convened on the issue of the annulment of the elections.   În his opinion, Romania's defence spending will not double from one year to the next because our country, in this regard, is in a better position than the EU average. He explained that Romania's defence spending represented over 2.2% of GDP last year, while the EU average was 1.9%."From this point of view, Romania is doing much better, and doubling military spending from one year to the next is out of the question. There will certainly be a tendency to increase, and it is very likely that, every year, following a growth that is manageable from all points of view, we will have this phenomenon," said the interim president.According to Bolojan, these additional defence expenditures are for Romania's security."So, the security aspect, as long as it exists and is in good condition, is not perceived. (...) We cannot deny that we have a war at our borders, not exactly at our borders, but it is very clear that if this so-called neo-imperial vocation of Russia continues in the coming years, Ukraine could just be the first victim. And then, in today's document, these countries appreciate that Russia is a threat to the countries of the European Union, and I believe that all of us on the Eastern border, all those who have experienced history's trials, understand more acutely what this is about. And, practically, these additional defence expenditures are expenditures for the safety of our country. This is the reality," the interim president also said. (Photo:https://www.presidency.ro/)