Romania can provide logistical and infrastructural support for Ukraine, for the EU states and for those who wish to get more actively involved, but without Romanian troops in Ukraine, is the conclusion presented by the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) delegation at the consultations held Wednesday at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace with the interim president, Ilie Bolojan, said UDMR Kelemen Hunor.
"It is an initiative that I greatly appreciate, after many years. (...) There were three topics that we addressed. First of all there was the matter of the expectation, the request, the proposal of the United States to the European Union to assume more responsibility for Europe's defence. What does this mean? Investment in the military industry, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the establishment of joint military forces for the states of the European Union, of course not against national armies and not against the North Atlantic Alliance, but to defend the European Union in case of need. From this point of view, we have been arguing for years that, yes, the European Union, the member states of the European Union should have invested more in their own defence, because it cannot stand on its own in the very long term and the United States cannot be expected to be the ones to ensure the defence of the European Union," Kelemen Hunor told a press conference held at Palace of Parliament.
At the same time, the UDMR leader added, without the United States of America, at this moment, there are no technical military possibilities for an effective defence of the member states of the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance.
"Romania must invest in the military industry. We need to look for ways in which we can support our own industry, but at the same time we also need to diversify these investments, for example in drones or other 21st century technology. The details will be important for specialists, but it is not only a question of an increase in military spending, this expenditure needs to be wisely made and well coordinated, of course, with the other states of the European Union," he said.
A second question is related to the bilateral talks between the United States and Russia on the cessation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and whether there is a possibility for the European Union to be at the negotiation table.
"Here, of course, the decision has to be taken first of all by those who have already started negotiations, the United States and Russia, and then by the EU Member States and the United Kingdom. There is a need for someone who has the necessary legitimacy, the necessary authority, the necessary credibility to sit at the table. And after that, of course, what happens when the end of the war is finally reached. A truce will be the first step. We have been saying for a long time that peace must be achieved. There is no alternative. Peace means life and every man wants to support life and construction. War means destruction and death. You can't be on the side of destroying infrastructure and killing people. So we are in favor of ending this conflict as soon as possible but, of course, we in Romania will not be able to impose the conditions. The first step will probably be a ceasefire that will pave the way for a diplomatic dialogue, because you cannot reach a peace agreement without knowing what is happening with the occupied territories. And, from this point of view, the first step is a truce so that there can be the possibility of more in-depth, more applied discussions," explained the UDMR leader.
In this context, emphasized Kelemen Hunor, "there will be a long period of instability", but "a truce can be achieved relatively quickly, which would be desirable".
"A peace agreement will not be reached overnight, but a truce can be achieved relatively quickly, which is desirable. The security guarantees requested by Ukraine are important. As far as we are concerned, we are against sending Romanian troops to Ukraine. Security guarantees must also be provided by the United States and Romania can provide logistical and infrastructural support for Ukraine, for the EU Member States and for those who wish to become more actively involved, but without troops in Ukraine. This is our conclusion. This is what I told President Bolojan. Of course, there will follow more applied discussions at the Council level, next week or when the Council is convened, and there will follow bilateral discussions between the United States - Ukraine, the United States -the UK and peace negotiations with Russia," emphasized the UDMR leader.
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