Romanian President Nicușor Dan has declared the Russian consul in the southeastern coastal city of Constanța “persona non grata,” ordering him to leave the country.
The measure comes in response to a Russian drone incident that damaged an apartment building in Galați, injuring two people.
“The full responsibility for this incident belongs to Russia, a country that has been waging an aggressive war against Ukraine for more than four years,” the Romanian president stressed.
Speaking after a meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense, Dan said the drone was part of a “swarm” of 43 drones targeting objectives in Ukraine.
He also criticized several Romanian politicians for attempting to minimize Russia’s responsibility for the incident.
Dan said the united response of Romania’s allies in NATO is a powerful display of solidarity and announced that the alliance will relocate some of its air defense equipment to Romania as a temporary solution while the country upgrades its own systems, also using funds from the EU’s Safe scheme.
“Some have already arrived, others are expected to arrive, and in the discussion I had with the Secretary General of NATO, I insisted on speed, and he fully agreed that these systems should arrive in Romania as quickly as possible.”
Moscow reacted immediately as well, saying it would respond soon.
