On Thursday, Romania joined the increasing number of NATO countries with prominent officials expressing concerns about the potential of entering into a conflict with Russia.
General Gheorghiță Vlad, Romania’s chief of defense, emphasized in an interview with Europa Liberă România—a news service from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty—that his country is currently unprepared for the possibility of war with Russia and stressed the importance of taking such a threat seriously.
Vlad’s warning comes in the wake of General Patrick Sanders, the United Kingdom’s army chief, urging British authorities to prepare for a mass mobilization due to the potential spillover of Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine into other countries.
Another NATO Country Raises Concerns About Potential War with Russia (Credits: NPR)
Prior to Sanders’ statements, Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, in a January 19 interview, suggested that a Russian attack on NATO could occur within the next “five to eight years,” and Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer stated last month that NATO needed to maintain a combat-ready stance.
In a Thursday interview, Vlad, during a military parade marking the National Day of Romania in Bucharest on December 1, 2023, expressed the need for his country to be better prepared.
“The Russian Federation has become a problem for world order, for democracy,” Vlad asserted to Europa Liberă România. “In fact, it is a Russian war with the democratic world. This is not a war with Ukraine.”
Regarding the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin engaging in warfare elsewhere, Vlad emphasized that the populations of Romania, the European Union, and Europe as a whole should be concerned.
“If he [Putin] wins in Ukraine, the main target will be the Republic of Moldova. We will witness tensions in the Western Balkans,” he continued. “I am more than convinced that President Putin’s policy will escalate in the near future.”
Discussing debris from a Russian drone that fell in Romania in September, Vlad highlighted the country’s lack of combat systems and called for legal reforms to better counter drone attacks.
Citing the absence of compulsory military service as a reason for Romania’s lack of combat readiness, Vlad suggested introducing voluntary basic military training for individuals up to 35 years old.
The Romanian general also urged NATO countries to consider implementing voluntary military service and called on NATO allies to bolster their stockpiles of weapons.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov labeled NATO a “threat” to Russia earlier this week and hinted at a possible response to recent actions taken by the alliance. Peskov’s comments were made in reference to the NATO military exercise “Steadfast Defender 2024,” launched last week and involving around 90,000 service members from 31 NATO allies and Sweden.
“Of course, it [NATO] is a threat to us. That is how we treat it, and we are constantly taking appropriate measures to deal with it,” Peskov stated, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
