Putin accuses Romania of escalating the conflict in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin accuses Romania of escalating the conflict in Ukraine. In the propaganda documentary “Russia. Kremlin. Putin. 25 years”, broadcast by the Russian state television Rossiya-1, the Kremlin leader states that Romania and Bulgaria contributed to the tensions that led to the war in Ukraine by accepting American bases on their territories.

The documentary features archive footage of a speech by Putin, which was also attended by Angela Merkel. “They are deploying their forces to our state borders. So-called light American forward bases are appearing in Bulgaria and Romania, one in each country. And we have every right to ask ourselves openly: against whom is this expansion taking place?”, Putin said at the time.

Russia will either be independent and sovereign, or it will no longer exist at all. The video sequence continues with Putin’s explanation of the statements in the speech.

“This is the message that I wanted to convey to our partners and colleagues, in the hope that they will listen to us and correct their attitude towards Russia. But, unfortunately, we were not listened to. That is, they heard, but they did not react appropriately. Ultimately, this led to today’s tragic events in Ukraine,” the Russian president said.

“Russia. Kremlin. Putin. 25 Years” is a 90-minute documentary made by propagandist Pavel Zarubin, with a series of interviews recorded in the spring of 2025, which presents the “achievements” of Vladimir Putin during his time in power, according to the publication Meduza.

In the film, Putin defends Russia’s annexation of Crimea and justifies the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, attacks “Western values”, ponders who might one day replace him and says he “hopes” not to have to use nuclear weapons.

MAE retorts: The only country that threatens regional security in Europe is the Russian Federation

“Romania’s NATO accession represents the sovereign will of the citizens of Romania and the Allied nations. At the same time, Romania’s NATO membership does not represent a security threat to anyone. This is concrete and demonstrable. President Putin is using the same familiar narratives that served as a pretext for a brutal war of annexation. The only country that threatens regional security in Europe is the Russian Federation through its illegal and unprovoked war marked by numerous war crimes against civilian pollution in Ukraine and doubled by a Russian anti-EU and anti-NATO disinformation and propaganda campaign. Romania will continue to defend its security interests in full sovereignty in its dual capacity as a NATO ally and an EU member state”, said Andrei Țărnea, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement.