Putin is a war criminal, says Romania’s far-Right presidential candidate

 The far-Right front-runner in Romania’s elections labelled Vladimir Putin a war criminal and dictator on the eve of Sunday’s vote, rejecting concerns that his leadership could align his country with Russia.

George Simion, who swept to victory in the first round of Romania’s presidential election re-run on May 4, is banned from Ukraine and has been accused by his rivals of being friendly with Moscow.

He strongly denies this.

“Putin has committed war crimes in Ukraine. He broke international treaties, he sent guns and tanks into an independent country,” he said.

With polls placing Mr Simion neck and neck with his rival Nicușor Dan, a pro-EU centrist candidate, leaders in Brussels are bracing for his probable victory this weekend, which would strengthen the nationalist bloc within the European Union.

When The Telegraph spoke to him on Thursday, Mr Simion was spending the day rushing through a flurry of media requests, flanked by his 10-person entourage and a swarm of cameras as he mingled with his Right-wing allies.

“We will never exit the EU. We are here to stay and you cannot get rid of us,” Mr Simion declared, while brandishing his hard-Right credentials and links to Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister.

The 38-year-old gained 41 per cent of votes in the contest’s first round, double the score of Mr Dan.

The election has been described as a fork in the road for Romania, a country that has followed a pro-EU, democratic course since the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the communist dictator, in 1989.

To his critics, Mr Simion, the leader of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) party, is a pro-Russian extremist who threatens Romania’s long-standing links with the EU and Nato.

But despite concerns his tenure would align him with Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Slovakia’s Robert Fico, Mr Simion said he was committed to a strong Nato along the border with Russia.

“I want to make Nato even stronger on the eastern flank,” he said. “Nato is the biggest and most important military alliance in history. Membership is vital for Romania, for Poland and the Baltic states.”

It has been difficult to fully discern Mr Simion’s true policy positions after he appeared seemingly out of nowhere when Romania’s election was annulled in November.

The move came amid a flurry of accusations of Russian interference and campaign finance violations.

Mr Simion took centre stage in March when winner Călin Georgescu was banned from standing in the re-run election, capitalising on widespread voter frustration.

“They didn’t present any shred of evidence about annulling the election. It was a big abuse. It does not happen in EU member states,” he said.

“We are not an authoritarian regime. Saying who can and who cannot run is not acceptable in a democracy.”

Known for his provocative past as a former football hooligan and co-founder of a group of ultras infamous for their racist slogans and violent disruptions at matches, Mr Simion has shown tepid and inconsistent support for Ukraine.

He was banned from entering Ukraine in 2024 for three years for what Kyiv called “systematic anti-Ukrainian activities” and there are concerns that his Romanian nationalist policies could see territorial disputes along their shared border.

Mr Simion has also called for an end to sending aid to Kyiv, condemning the current government’s decision to donate a Patriot missile system and describing it as a threat to Romania’s security.

“I don’t think Ukrainians at the moment entering Nato would bring more security,” he said.

“Our focus is on a ceasefire and truce and peace negotiations. We fully support the Trump administration in their efforts for bringing peace.”

Mr Simion has moved to align himself with the US president, branding himself as a “European Maga candidate”.

He presents himself as a defender of traditional values, national sovereignty, and anti-globalist principles.

“I saw with my own eyes that Donald Trump appreciates a man with honour, appreciates people who stand up for their country and interests and patriots not globalists,” he said. “The wave of the Maga movement is here in Europe.”

He did say, however, that he would not give a pass to Andrew Tate, the Trump-aligned, self-described misogynist accused of organised crime, human trafficking and sex with minors in Romania.

“I would not pardon Andrew Tate. It is not my concern. I will ensure that every citizen, whether Romanian, American or British, has a fair trial in my country.”