Presidential Candidate Ponta Pledges to Halt Ukrainian Grain Exports via Romania

Victor Ponta, a candidate in Romania’s upcoming presidential election, has committed to ending the flow of Ukrainian grain exports through the country’s Black Sea ports if he wins. Ponta argued that this decision would be necessary to protect local Romanian farmers. This is reported by The Gaze referencing Reuters.

Romania, a member of both the European Union and NATO, is preparing for a re-run of its presidential election in May after a December vote was annulled due to accusations of Russian interference, which Moscow has denied. The country’s pivotal role in NATO, and the EU, and its support for Ukraine are under intense scrutiny.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Romania has become a key route for Ukrainian grain exports, with approximately 29 million tons of grain passing through the Black Sea port of Constanta over the past three years. This makes Romania a crucial alternative to Russia-controlled routes.

Ponta stated, “There has been a policy of favoring Ukrainian grain in terms of access to port facilities in recent years, at the detriment of Romanian grain, and Romanian farmers were greatly affected by it,” during an interview with Reuters.

While he intends to halt grain exports, Ponta emphasized that Romania would continue supporting Ukraine in other ways, such as facilitating weapons transit and providing pilot training.

Victor Ponta, 52, is a former left-wing Romanian prime minister who has shifted to the far right. He resigned as head of government in 2015 after a deadly nightclub fire.

As the Gaze previously reported, Romania’s General Prosecutor’s Office has detained 18 individuals in connection to a case involving pro-Russian politician and former presidential candidate, Calin Georgescu.

The first round of Romania’s presidential election took place on November 24, 2024, where Georgescu, a little-known far-right, pro-Russian figure, received the most votes. However, on December 6, the Romanian Constitutional Court annulled the results, citing allegations of a coordinated online campaign by Russia to support Georgescu’s candidacy.