Calin Georgescu, a nationalist politician leading the presidential race in Romania, told the BBC that he would end all support for Ukraine if elected.
He faces a run-off in Sunday’s election, where he will compete against Elena Lasconi, a former TV presenter campaigning on a staunchly pro-EU platform.
Georgescu, whose only election campaign was on social media, said he would make “the Romanian people” his priority.
But he has denied that his impressive success so far is the result of Russian-backed influence on social media, saying he doesn’t care about the “lies” of his country’s intelligence agencies as he works with God and people.
On Wednesday, in an unusual move, the outgoing president of Romania published unspecified documents describing what they called a massive and “highly organized” campaign by Georgescu on TikTok linked to a “national actor”.
The documents include an intelligence assessment that Russia was attacking Romania, which it sees as an “enemy”.
Currently, the constitutional court is full of requests to consider the allegations of interference with the aim of stopping the election.
Prosecutors today announced that they are opening a criminal investigation, but there is no timeline for when that might end.
“They are afraid,” is how Georgescu dismissed evidence that hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent on his campaign, in violation of Romania’s electoral law and TikTok laws.
He denied being a “Moscow man”, mocking Romania’s “un-intelligence agencies”.
“They cannot accept that the Romanian people end up saying, ‘we want our life back, our country, our dignity’,” he said, expressing himself as fighting against an endless movement.
In a sometimes sensitive interview in which he praised Donald Trump and Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, Georgescu called Vladimir Putin “a fanatic and a leader”.
He then added: “But I’m not a fan.”
But when asked about Russia’s war in Ukraine, he first asked, “Are you sure about that?”, seemingly denying that there was a war.
He then said that Romania only wants to fight for peace on its border but refused to say that this should be on Kyiv’s terms.
When asked if he agrees to stand in Ukraine, as the EU puts it, “as long as it takes”, Georgescu said “No.” He said things will change.
“I agree that I have to take care of my people. I don’t want to involve my people,” he replied, clarifying that Romania – a member of the EU and Nato – will not provide military or political support to its neighbor.
“Zero. Everything stops. I just have to take care of myself, people. We have many problems.”
It would be a big change in the situation in Bucharest, and it would be music to Russian ears.
Romania’s president has enormous powers, including influence in areas such as foreign policy. He is also the commander-in-chief of the military and appoints the prime minister.
Romania shares a long border with Ukraine and has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv since the all-out invasion in 2022.
It is provided through the Patriot missile defense program and financial support. It is also an important export route for Ukraine’s grain, as the Russian invasion has crippled port operations there.
Under Georgescu’s presidency, Romania will join Hungary and Slovakia as Russia’s allies on NATO’s eastern side.
It could also be a serious stumbling block for EU unity in Ukraine, as it faces the prospect of taking on more responsibility for helping Kyiv with Donald Trump back in the White House.
Georgescu stressed that he will keep Romania within the EU and NATO, but everything from now on will be “negotiated” and focused on his country’s interests.
He refused to say that Vladimir Putin’s Russia is a security threat to the West.
His endorsement of conspiracy theories has also caused concern, including denial of the Covid pandemic and doubts that anyone has ever landed on the Moon.
Romania is home to a major Nato military base, near the Black Sea, and a US missile defense facility.
Georgescu now describes himself as a university teacher, but has also worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN.
He clearly has supporters – his clean, original Romanian message is popular, especially outside of Bucharest.
But in the capital, many people are worried about where their country might be headed.
This evening, protesters will gather in the center of Bucharest to call for Romania to remain united with Europe.
When asked if he understood why they were afraid, Georgescu shook his head: “That’s just propaganda.
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