Ionuț Moșteanu, the Minister of Defense, found time to throw stones at Russia, putting Romania in an extreme position towards a power that, regardless of sympathies or antipathies, remains an empire. His statements were not simple criticisms, but insults thrown with an air of superiority: Putin would be the last man to give lessons on democracy, the elections in the Kremlin are "a farce", and political opponents would be thrown out the window. Cheap humor, with jokes about the "pushing current", meant to draw applause.

https://youtu.be/gKmAo2JspBs

The problem? Moșteanu does not have the stature for such a game. Romania is not a child who will do tricks in front of a geopolitical giant just so that the Minister of Defense can tick off a "strong" reply. Instead of weighing his words, Moșteanu launches into statements that put the country in a direct verbal conflict with a nuclear superpower.

Moreover, his speech reeks of hypocrisy. How can you talk about "electoral farces" in Russia when the very coalition you are part of - PSD, PNL, USR and UDMR - participated in the annulment of the presidential elections in December? How can you give lessons in democracy when your own party abandoned its candidate, betraying its electorate? When the power mechanisms in Romania are controlled by behind-the-scenes arrangements, who is in the moral position to point the finger at Moscow?

A Minister of Defense has the duty to defend Romania's security, not to make a political stand-up at the expense of an empire. Moșteanu's statements do not strengthen the country's position, but rather make it vulnerable. Romania thus becomes an exposed pawn, caught between the arrogance of some local politicians and the harsh reactions that such language can provoke in the Kremlin.

While Moșteanu gives lessons in democracy, Romanians remember that here, at home, democracy is being trampled on by those who pose as moralists.