Pro-Russian Simion leads Romanian election first round, criticizes arms supplies to Ukraine

Romanian presidential candidate George Simion, who leads the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians, has publicly called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and expressed support for US President Donald Trump’s approach to ending the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. 

In comments to DW Ukraine, Simion said:

“We must stop this war. We must stop any civilian casualties, and that’s why we must achieve a ceasefire. And we must pray and hope that Donald Trump’s peace talks will work.”

Simion stated that Europe had allegedly suffered from the ongoing war and claimed that sending military aid to Ukraine was harmful to regional powers.

“Armed support for both sides is unprofitable for Germany, France, Romania, Poland. We have suffered greatly from this war, and we need peace, as the Trump administration wants,” he stated.

Mirroring US President Donald Trump’s position—and disregarding the situation on the ground and Russia’s pro-war stance—Simion asserted that de-escalation is the only solution.

“We said we would promote peace, and we see the only solution in de-escalation of this conflict.”

In November 2024, Ukraine imposed a three-year entry ban on Simion, citing “systematic anti-Ukrainian activities.” 

Following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he reportedly called Russia “one of the biggest threats” to European states. Yet in May 2025, Simion downplayed Russia’s threat to the EU and NATO, stating that “Russia doesn’t have the potential to represent a significant threat to the biggest military alliance in the world.” He argued that the only risk to NATO’s eastern flank came from “the alliance’s own dismantling.”

Analysts warn of far-right rise and authoritarian sympathies

Ukrainian political commentator Vitalii Portnikov, writing on Facebook, argued that the Romanian election result reflects a broader rise in far-right and populist influence across Europe and North America. He attributed this trend to deliberate war-driven destabilization by Russia.

“It was Putin who attacked Ukraine, also counting on the results of a major migration crisis. Even if those expectations failed, the fear of war itself becomes the yeast for far-right and populist parties to rise,” Portnikov wrote.

He rejected the idea that liberal democracy is naturally fading, instead arguing that “those who ignite wars, scare people, and create fear and despair” are intentionally eroding democratic systems by promoting “simple solutions” through populist rhetoric.

Romanian political analyst Sorin Ioniță, president of Expert Forum in Bucharest, told Liga that Simion “sympathizes with authoritarian regimes” and may attempt to follow the example of pro-Russians regimes in neighboring Hungaria and Slovakia, ruled by prime ministers Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico.