Romania's presidential candidate Georgescu calls Ukraine 'fictional state,' suggests annexing territory

Latest: Georgescu has 'masters in Moscow' — Kyiv slams Romanian politician over comments on Ukraine's partition.

Far-right Romanian politician Calin Georgescu called Ukraine a "fictional state" and claimed that the eventual partition of its territories is "inevitable" in an interview published on Jan. 29.

"On 100% it will happen," Calin Georgescu said in the interview with journalist Ion Cristoiu about redrawing Ukraine's borders as a consequence of the Russia-Ukraine war, suggesting Romania could claim some of Ukraine's territories.

"The path to something like this is inevitable. Ukraine is a fictional state... the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic."

The obscure, pro-Russian ultranationalist achieved a shock success during the first round of a presidential vote in November 2024, making him a front-runner for the second round. The results were annulled by the constitutional court over alleged Russian interference and a hybrid campaign on TikTok meant to prop up Georgescu.

The far-right politician, who has opposed military support for Ukraine and the transit of Ukrainian grain through Romania, remains the leading candidate for the rescheduled vote in May with 38% of projected support.

"The world is changing. Borders will change... If borders change, where are we? We have an interest in Northern Bukovina. We have Budjak, we have Northern Maramures, the former Transcarpathia... there are still Hungarians," Georgescu said, referring to Ukrainian regions bordering Romania.

The politician further suggested that Poland would annex Lviv, echoing tropes commonly employed by Russian propaganda about a post-war division of Ukraine.

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Georgescu is not the first far-right Romanian politician to suggest annexing parts of Ukraine's territory in the wake of Russia's war. Claudiu Tarziu, a member of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party, and Diana Sosoaca, the leader of the pro-Russian SOS Romania party, made similar comments.

There are an estimated 150,000-500,000 ethnic Romanians living in Ukraine, concentrated in the border regions.

The current Romanian leadership has been staunchly pro-Ukrainian throughout the full-scale war, providing military aid that included a Patriot air defense system, housing a training facility for Ukrainian F-16 pilots, and facilitating the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products.

During the interview, Georgescu also said that U.S. President Donald Trump will seek to cut a quick deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, meaning Bucharest will no longer have to provide assistance to Kyiv.

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