Ukraine Weapons, Not Membership, Are 'Foremost' NATO Priorities: Romania PM

NATO's focus at next month's summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, should be on providing Ukraine with "everything it needs" to emerge victorious from the ongoing war with Russia, Romania's prime minister told Newsweek, as alliance leaders juggle their backing of Kyiv with the thorny question of future Ukrainian membership.

Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of the center-left Social Democratic Party who came to power earlier this month in a planned rotation within the ruling coalition, told Newsweek in an exclusive interview that his top concern for the pivotal upcoming summit is ensuring there is more practical aid for Ukraine as Kyiv pushes ahead in its long-awaited counteroffensive.

Asked if his new government would support Ukraine's NATO ambitions—which have proven divisive in an alliance desperate to avoid a direct military confrontation with Moscow—Ciolacu told Newsweek: "My government will work to develop a consensus with our EU and NATO allies to support Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic path and ensure regional stability and security."

"Right now, our foremost priority is ensuring that Ukraine receives everything it needs to manage its ongoing war against Russia," the prime minister added.

Romania has been providing significant military support to Kyiv, though it has largely kept its deliveries quiet. Pentagon intelligence documents leaked earlier this year show Bucharest has been key in training Ukrainian forces, as well as in supporting transport and reconnaissance missions.

Ukrainian artillery teams are using Romanian howitzers to fire on Russian positions, while the country is also set to host repair facilities to service other Western weapons in Ukrainian hands.

Ciolacu's position echoes that of allied leaders like German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said last week: "I advocate that we focus in Vilnius on what is now an absolute priority: Namely, to strengthen the real fighting power of Ukraine."

Kyiv has made clear it wants to join the bloc as soon as possible, citing its Herculean defense against Russia's military machine as proof of its commitment to, and suitability for, full membership.

A NATO split is looming over Ukraine's long-held membership ambitions, with the alliance's eastern states in particular pushing their more hesitant Western allies to atone for their 2008 decision to deny Kyiv a Membership Action Plan (MAP)—effectively a blueprint for full accession.

U.S. President Joe Biden is reportedly among the leaders who agree Ukraine will not need a MAP when it does eventually join. But Kyiv and its most ardent NATO supporters still fear that Ukraine may end up stranded in the "gray zone" between the transatlantic and Russian-led blocs.

Though NATO leaders have committed to eventual Ukrainian accession, they are reluctant to establish a concrete roadmap for Kyiv while the country remains at war with Russia. Instead, nations are discussing how to provide what President Volodymyr Zelensky has called "long-term security commitments for Ukraine" while the country strives to eject Russian troops from its territory.

That may come in the form of multiple bilateral security deals with NATO's leading nations. The Financial Times reported this week that the U.S., the U.K., Germany and France are working on "stop-gap" security agreements with Kyiv that could reinforce Ukraine's defense without dragging NATO into a hot war with Moscow.

Ukraine Westwards

Successive Ukrainian governments—and broad popular political movements—have long cultivated the country's transatlantic trajectory, fighting against Russian efforts to retain its historic influence over Europe's second-largest nation. NATO membership is one plank, and EU accession is another. The latter is perhaps less politically divisive, but more technically complex, with Kyiv most likely facing a years-long journey to EU membership.

Kyiv was awarded EU candidate status in June 2022, though official accession negotiations won't begin until Ukraine fulfils seven bloc recommendations. Ukrainian leaders hope to do so by the end of 2023.

Leaders in Moldova and Georgia—both retaining EU ambitions, but struggling with partial Russian occupation—are also hoping that the fresh impetus of the war in Ukraine will help progress their membership bids.

Ciolacu said Bucharest "would like to see the initiation of EU negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova as soon as possible, and stronger support for Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations."

Romania—which Ciolacu called NATO's "anchor" on its eastern Black Sea flank—is well-positioned to help aspirant nations long held back by Russian interference, the prime minister said.

"We have the longest border with Ukraine, including vital Black Sea ports," he said. "We helped millions of Ukrainians fleeing Russian violence, facilitated the shipment of vital global grain supplies from Ukraine via ports and provided access to our rails and roads, all while providing a vital lifeline to the Republic of Moldova."

"We will not waiver in our support for the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine's further integration into the European family. Because of this, I have made a public pledge to turn Romania into a hub for the vital reconstruction of Ukraine."

Newsweek has contacted the Russian foreign ministry by email to request comment.