{"id":133840,"date":"2024-12-06T05:04:12","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T22:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=133840"},"modified":"2024-12-06T05:04:12","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T22:04:12","slug":"frontrunner-calin-georgescu-vows-to-end-ukraine-aid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=133840","title":{"rendered":"Frontrunner Calin Georgescu vows to end Ukraine aid"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Calin Georgescu, the fringe nationalist politician leading the presidential race in Romania, has told the BBC that he would end all support for Ukraine if elected.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He is facing a second-round run-off in the elections on Sunday, where he will run against Elena Lasconi, a former TV presenter who is campaigning on a firmly pro-EU platform.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Georgescu, whose only election campaigning has been on social media, said he would make &#8220;the Romanian people&#8221; his priority.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">But he denied that his surprise success so far was the result of a Russian-backed influence operation, saying he did not care about the &#8220;lies&#8221; of his country&#8217;s intelligence agencies as he was working with God and the people.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">On Wednesday, in a highly unusual move, Romania&#8217;s outgoing president published declassified documents that detailed what was called a massive and &#8220;highly organised&#8221; campaign for Georgescu on TikTok co-ordinated by a &#8220;state actor&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">The papers included an intelligence assessment that Russia was carrying out hybrid attacks on Romania, which it sees as an &#8220;enemy state&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">The constitutional court is now being flooded with requests to look into the allegations of meddling with a view to possibly cancelling the election.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Prosecutors today announced they were opening a criminal investigation but there is no timeline on when that might conclude.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;They are afraid,&#8221; is how Georgescu brushed away evidence that hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent pushing campaign content for him, breaking both Romanian election law and TikTok&#8217;s own rules.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He denied that he was &#8220;Moscow&#8217;s man&#8221;, referring derisively to Romania&#8217;s &#8220;un-intelligence agencies&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;They can&#8217;t accept that the Romanian people finally said, &#8216;we want our life back, our country, our dignity&#8217;,&#8221; he said, portraying himself as battling against an unyielding establishment.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">In a sometimes tetchy interview in which he praised Donald Trump and the Hungarian populist leader Viktor Orban, Georgescu referred to Vladimir Putin as a &#8220;patriot and a leader&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He then added: &#8220;But I am not a fan.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">But when questioned about Russia&#8217;s war on Ukraine, he first asked, &#8220;Are you sure of that?&#8221;, appearing to deny the war&#8217;s very existence.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He then said Romania was interested only in pushing for peace on its border but refused to say that this should be on Kyiv&#8217;s terms.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">When asked whether he agreed with standing by Ukraine, as the EU puts it, &#8220;for as long as it takes&#8221;, Georgescu said &#8220;No.&#8221; He said things would change.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;I agree just that I have to take care of my people. I don&#8217;t want to involve my people,&#8221; he replied, clarifying that Romania \u2013 an EU and Nato member &#8211; would provide no more military or political support for its neighbour.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;Zero. Everything stops. I have to take care just about my people. We have a lot of problems ourselves.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">It would be a dramatic change in position for Bucharest, and one that would be music to Russian ears.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">The president in Romania has considerable power, including influence on areas such as foreign policy. He is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and appoints the prime minister.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Romania shares a long border with Ukraine and has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv since the full-scale invasion in 2022.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">It&#8217;s provided a Patriot missile defence system as well as financial support. It&#8217;s also become a key export route for Ukrainian grain, as Russian bombardments have crippled the work of ports there.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Under a Georgescu presidency, Romania would join Hungary and Slovakia as Russia-sympathisers on the eastern flank of Nato.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">It would also be a serious dent to EU solidarity on Ukraine, just as it faces the prospect of assuming more responsibility for aiding Kyiv with Donald Trump back in the White House.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Georgescu underlined that he would keep Romania inside the EU and Nato, but that everything from now on would be &#8220;negotiated&#8221; and focus on his country&#8217;s interests.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He refused to say that Vladimir Putin&#8217;s Russia was a security threat for the West.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">His endorsement of conspiracy theories has also sparked concerns, including denying the Covid pandemic and doubting that anyone ever landed on the Moon.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Romania is home to a giant Nato military base, close to the Black Sea, as well as a US missile defence facility.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Georgescu now describes himself as a university teacher, but has previously worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the UN.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He clearly does have supporters \u2013 his clean-living, Romania-first message has popular appeal, especially outside Bucharest.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">But in the capital many people are worried about the direction their country may be taking.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">This evening, protesters will gather in central Bucharest to call for Romania to remain closely allied with Europe.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">When asked if he understood why they were scared, Georgescu shook his head: &#8220;That&#8217;s just propaganda.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cvg6l06ldpqo\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Calin Georgescu, the fringe nationalist politician leading the presidential race in Romania, has told the BBC that he would end all support for Ukraine if elected. He is facing a &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=133840\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=133840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133840\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=133840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=133840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=133840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}