Today I summoned the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Bucharest to the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a reaction to the grave incindent last night when a Russian military drone crashed in the municipality of Galați resulting in the injury of civilians and material damage.
We strongly condemned this act of violation of Romania’s airspace and underlined the exceptional seriousness of the incident, which directly endangered the lives and safety of Romanian citizens.
Romania has repeatedly warned the Russian side about its irresponsible engagement in a spiral of escalation in the context of the illegal war of aggression it wages against Ukraine. We firmly emphasized that there can be no doubt whatsoever regarding the exclusive responsibility of the Russian Federation for this new incident. We also called on the Russian side to put an end to the attacks against Ukraine, which have direct and serious consequences for regional security and constitute grave and flagrant violations of international law.
During the meeting, the Russian side was notified of the decision of the Romanian authorities to declare the Consul General of the Russian Federation in Constanța persona non grata. He is requested to leave the country within 72 hours.
We also notified the Russian Ambassador of our decision to close the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Constanța.
Romania will continue to coordinate its response with its partners and allies, at NATO and EU level, as well as in the multilateral framework, and remains committed to adopting all necessary measures for the defense of national security.