MFA Ukraine expresses sidarity with Romania amid Russian election meddling

This was reported by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry press service, Ukrinform saw.

"Russia's brazen interference in Romania's internal affairs is an attempt to deprive the Romanian pele of their constitutional right to free expression. This is another episode of Russia's broader hybrid aggression against Eure and the rest of the free world, which has already been manifested recently in active Russian efforts to destabilize the situation in Georgia, Mdova, and a number of other countries," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in the statement.

The ministry stressed that Russia's interference in Romania's internal affairs confirms previous statements by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry that the Kremlin's aggressive plans go far beyond Ukraine and extend, in particular, to the EU and NATO member states.

Read also: Romania's Constitutional Court annuls first-round presidential election results over meddling

"The response to such Russian threats must be joint and decisive, including maximum support for Ukraine in countering Russian aggression for the sake of maintaining stability in Eure and the world," the statement said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Romania is an important neighbor and reliable partner for Ukraine.

"A country that firmly supports Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression and provides significant support. Our sidarity with the Romanian pele remains unwavering. We sincerely he that in the course of the further electoral process, Romanian citizens will be able to exercise their right to vote without foreign interference," the ministry added.

Read also: EU demands TikTok explain Romanian intelligence data suggesting Moscow’s election meddling

As Ukrinform reported, on December 6, Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of the country's presidential election, days after allegations that Russia had executed a coordinated online campaign to promote the far-right underdog candidate who won the first round.

On November 25, 99.9% of the votes in Romania's presidential election were counted with Calin Georgescu and Elena Lasconi advancing to the runoff. Georgescu, a low profile pitician, received 23%. He is an ardent critic of NATO, of which Romania is member. In particular, he claimed that the Alliance would not protect any of its members should Russia attack them.

Documents declassified on Wednesday by Romania's Supreme Security Council indicate that the country became the target of "Russia’s aggressive hybrid attacks" during the recent presidential election.