Ukraine Fatigue Risks ‘Putin Lookalike’, Romanian Leader Says

Andra Timu, Irina Vilcu and Chad Thomas
·3 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Ukraine’s allies must stand firm in backing Kyiv or risk emboldening populist forces across Europe with a victory for Vladimir Putin, Romania’s prime minister said.

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Marcel Ciolacu said his government will forge ahead with “multi-dimensional support” for Ukraine even as European allies show signs of war fatigue, particularly with the Israel-Hamas conflict overshadowing Russia’s invasion. The conflict in the Middle East is likely to be resolved sooner than the war next door to Romania, he said.

“Romania will continue to help Ukraine regardless of the political costs,” Ciolacu said in an interview in his office in Bucharest on Monday. “These political costs are less important than the precedent a Russian victory would create.”

The premier pointed to the burst of support across Europe for right-wing and populist forces, many of whom have attacked governments’ support for Ukraine and lamented the broken ties with the Kremlin. In Germany, the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany has been fueled in part by pro-Russian sentiment.

“Can you image how many Putin lookalikes we would get among certain populist European politicians?” Ciolacu asked.

European Union leaders are publicly maintaining a united front against Russia, with the bloc discussing a 12th sanctions package targeting €5 billion ($5.4 billion) in trade with Russia.

But signs of fading support have emerged, most recently in a prank phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who told a pair of notorious Russian comedians that she witnessed “a lot of fatigue” in supporting Kyiv.

Romania has played a key role in efforts to maintain an economic lifeline to Kyiv with grain exports. Ciolacu said his country had boosted its capacity to ship Ukrainian grain to 3 million tons per month — up from half a million tons at the start of the war. The country will raise it further to 4 million tons in coming months, the premier said.

A raft of elections next year, including Romania’s parliamentary and presidential contests as well as a European Parliament ballot, won’t change his commitment, Ciolacu said — pointing to shifts in support for Kyiv seen with elections in Poland and Slovakia.

He declined to give any details about the military assistance Romania provides Ukraine.

Ciolacu reinforced his backing for the EU-accession bids of Ukraine and Moldova, Romania’s neighbor that’s struggled to fend off Russian influence.

But he cited difficulties in achieving unanimity among EU leaders on the issue considering the pro-Russian views of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovakia’s Robert Fico, who returned to his country’s premiership last month.

The Romanian premier cited more immediate risks in the EU with upcoming elections and the far-right’s rise across the 27-member bloc.

“Let’s not forget that next year we have European Parliament elections and should we see more extremist voices in the assembly — that would create a bigger vulnerability inside the EU,” Ciolacu said.

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