Dan, who defeated hard-right nationalist George Simion in Romania’s 2025 presidential runoff, spoke exclusively to TVP World in an interview covering regional security, relations with the Trump administration, and Romania’s Black Sea posture. Risks to global economy Dan said authorities estimate there are about 15,000 Romanian residents in Middle East countries affected by recent retaliation attacks by Iran—many with dual citizenship—plus roughly 5,000 travelers “visiting or passing through,” adding that “we try to bring them back to Romania.” Dan is “not at all afraid” the conflict will spill onto Romanian territory but argued the bigger risk, if the fighting drags on, is pressure on “the global economy and on the outlook.” Black Sea base Asked about concerns that US attention could drift away from Europe, Dan downplayed last year’s troop changes in his country as an “optimization measure” affecting rotational forces, saying Romania still hosts “three main American bases… and… a thousand soldiers.” He also pointed to the expansion of the Mihail Kogălniceanu base near the Black Sea, which Romanian officials have promoted as becoming one of NATO’s largest facilities in Europe. The Moldova question On Moldova, Dan said Bucharest would respect Moldovan public opinion, noting a divided electorate and recalling Romania’s parliamentary declaration that it would be ready if Moldova ever sought unification with Romania. Asked about proposals for wider European nuclear deterrence arrangements, he said “it’s too early… to speak,” emphasizing that Romania is covered by NATO’s existing umbrella.
