Nicuşor Dan: “Russia is trying to escalate what it started five years ago in Ukraine and involve European countries in this conflict”

President Nicuşor Dan and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen discussed security in the Black Sea, the conflict in Ukraine and European involvement in the region on Monday, at Cotroceni Palace. The head of state stressed that there can be neither stable peace nor effective reconstruction of Ukraine without a secure Black Sea.

“If we are talking about the conflict in Ukraine, we cannot talk either about stable peace in Ukraine or about an effective way to rebuild Ukraine without a secure Black Sea. All of these form a whole spectrum of hybrid warfare in which, evidently, Russia is trying to escalate what it began five years ago in Ukraine and to involve European countries in this conflict,” the head of state said.

Ursula von der Leyen said that freedom of navigation in the Black Sea must be maintained and restored, and called for a ceasefire in the region. She pointed out that this route is essential for global food security and the European economy.

The discussions also addressed support for Ukraine, the European path of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as the European Union’s multiannual budget for the 2028-2034 period.