Banned in Ukraine. Who is Simion and how does his victory in Romania threaten Kyiv?

In the first round of the presidential election in Romania on May 4, far-right nationalist and ardent opponent of aid to Ukraine George Simion .

won

Until now, Romania has been Ukraine's most reliable western neighbor, reminds LIGA.net Marianna Prysiazhniuc, an analyst at the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation and a PhD student at Bucharest National University.

But if Simion defeats Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan in the second round in two weeks, things will change dramatically. Romania could then turn from a reliable neighbor into a country led by a political follower of Viktor Orban and Robert Fico.

This does not seem to bode well for Ukraine. However, there is a politician in Europe who can help Kyiv find a common language with Simion, says LIGA.net Romanian analyst, president of Expert Forum (Bucharest) Sorin Ionita.

How Kyiv should avoid burning bridges with the potential new government in Romania – in brief.