Nicușor Dan talks about the expulsion of the Russian ambassador, in an interview with the BBC. “I hope they stop” / What it says about defense against drones
The measure of closing the consulate in Constanța “represents a warning to the Russian side and I hope they will stop”, said Nicușor Dan, in a phone interview given to the BBC on Saturday.
“If not, there are other measures we can take against them,” he continued.
Asked by the BBC reporter what, concretely, these measures would be that Romania would take, if such incursions with Russian drones continue, Nicușor Dan said: “The expulsion of the ambassador, for example. Yes, there is this hierarchy of measures that can be taken at the diplomatic level.”
The President announced the closure of the Russian Consulate in Constanța on the day of the incident, which he described as “the most serious security incident on Romanian territory since the beginning of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine”, after a CSAT meeting, which he convened.
“We can say with certainty that it is a Russian drone”
In the same interview, Nicușor Dan said that there are indisputable techniques that dismantle Russia's claims regarding the origin of the drone that hit the block in Galati.
“We had another drone four or five weeks ago that did not explode. We compared the two drones – the remains of the one that exploded yesterday and the one that arrived a month ago – and they are completely identical. So, we can say with certainty that it is a Russian drone,” said Nicușor Dan.
He explained that the devices are being used to attack Ukrainian ports on the Danube, essential for grain exports. On Friday, the Romanian army tracked 43 drones, and “one of them, hit by the Ukrainian army, changed its direction and entered Romanian territory”, the president also said.
Nicușor Dan added that in recent years there have been “maybe 20-30 that have arrived here”. “At first they weren't loaded with explosives. But as I mentioned, a month ago we had another drone with explosives that luckily didn't explode.”
The president draws attention that “the situation is dangerous”. “It has become dangerous for Romanian citizens. And when the Russians target localities on the other side of the Danube, they must ensure that they do not cause any casualties among Romanian citizens,” he added.
Vladimir Putin had asked, in a first statement about the incident, for the remains of the drone to be examined. “I don't know what kind of drone exploded in Romania. Send us the remains,” Putin said.
Securing the border with help from Washington
Nicușor Dan also spoke on the BBC about the fact that Romania requested additional support from its strategic partner, and the president was convinced of Washington's support.
“I am convinced. It is already an ongoing process. They have already provided us with equipment exactly for those 60 kilometers of the border. So we have American equipment, but only for a portion of the border, not for the whole area,” the president said.
In addition to assistance from Washington, Romania has asked its European and NATO allies for new anti-aircraft systems and anti-drone equipment for the rest of the border. The request was sent directly during a discussion with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, immediately after the incident in Galați.
At the same time, Nicușor Dan also discussed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the two leaders agreeing to accelerate cooperation for the joint production of drones based on experience from the battlefield, the BBC recalls.
