BUCHAREST, March 17. /TASS/. Romania is not interested in the extension of the French nuclear umbrella to its territory, NATO security guarantees are now enough for Bucharest, Cristian Diaconescu, the interim president's adviser on defense and national security, said.
"We have made an assessment of the security guarantees and concluded that they are sufficient. There is no question of a nuclear umbrella for Romania," he said in an interview with the Digi24 TV channel. According to the adviser, at the moment "there is no need for nuclear expansion, for nuclear reorientation."
Diaconescu emphasized that this was not his position, but "a decision taken institutionally." He also opined that the issue would be revisited by Romania's new president after the May elections.
On March 5, in his address to the public, French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the growing threats to Europe and the nation, including purported ones from Russia. This is how he justified the need for increasing the nation's defense budget beyond the previously approved plan. He also reiterated his intention to continue supporting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia and promised to open a discussion on expanding the national nuclear deterrent to other European nations, in response to a call by Friedrich Merz, a candidate for the German chancellorship.