The Romania-US partnership
The US announces it is ready to work with the newly elected president of Romania, Nicușor Dan
Bogdan Matei, 21.05.2025, 13:50
For two decades, all presidents and all governments in Bucharest, regardless of their political leanings, have been saying that the foundations of Romania’s foreign policy are the country’s NATO and EU membership, as well as the Strategic Partnership with the United States.
In recent months, the Partnership seemed shaken by the very harsh criticism of the American vice-president, JD Vance and other members of the Republican right wing, against a Romanian democracy that has seen its most troubled times in three and a half decades of post-communism.
On Sunday, the outcome of the decisive round of the presidential election, won by the pro-European mayor of Bucharest, Nicușor Dan, seems to have calmed the waters. In an interview with the US television channel CNN, Dan stated that during the election campaign he did not notice support from Washington for his nationalist opponent, George Simion, although the latter voiced his admiration for president Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.
“Many people in Romania are disappointed with the politics of the last 35 years, since 1989. They are disappointed with the relationship between the Romanian state and its citizens at all levels and they are also unhappy with corruption (…) It is a social issue rather than an ideological one,” Dan said in the same interview, trying to explain the significant growth of the local radical right in recent years.
Two days after the elections, the US embassy in Bucharest announced that it looks forward to working with Nicuşor Dan, as President of Romania, and with the (future) government, to promote common priorities, such as defence, energy and trade partnerships.
“I appreciate the message sent by the US Embassy. I want to assure all Americans of Romania’s strong commitment to the United States in every aspect of our strategic partnership. I am confident that Romania will enjoy a remarkable relationship with the Trump Administration and that the United States will continue to be a guarantor of security and development for our country. Everyone understands how important the relations with the United States are for us, Romanians,” the president-elect immediately replied, in an English-language message posted on X.
Meanwhile, the US president announced, also on a social network, that the new US ambassador to Bucharest will be Darryl Nirenberg, who will help strengthen relations with Romania, support the military partnership between the two countries, and promote and safeguard US economic and security interests. A member of the Republican Party, Nirenberg currently works at a law firm. Before working in the private sector, he worked for the US Senate for 14 years, among other things as an advisor to the foreign relations committee. (AMP)
