EXCLUSIVE Letter from seven former US ambassadors: “Romanians face a historic choice—Putin or America”

Seven former U.S. ambassadors to Romania have signed, in an unprecedented move, a joint letter sent to G4Media.ro a week ahead of Romania’s May 18 presidential election, warning that Russia is once again on the offensive and that Romania’s membership in the European Union and alliance with the United States are at risk.

„If Romania elects a pro-Putin president, the United States’ defense and economic support for ordinary Romanians could be drastically impacted. Romanians face an obvious historic choice: Russian domination or their own future as an ally of America in NATO. Putin or America,” the letter reads.

The seven former ambassadors, who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations, are:

• Alfred Moses (U.S. Ambassador to Romania, 1994–1997, appointed by President Bill Clinton)

• James Rosapepe (U.S. Ambassador to Romania, 1998–2001, appointed by President Clinton)

• Michael Guest (U.S. Ambassador to Romania, 2001–2004, appointed by President George W. Bush)

• Nicholas Taubman (U.S. Ambassador to Romania, 2005–2008, appointed by President George W. Bush)

• Mark Gitenstein (U.S. Ambassador to Romania, 2009–2012, appointed by President Barack Obama)

• Hans G. Klemm (U.S. Ambassador to Romania, 2015–2019, appointed by President Obama)

• Adrian Zuckerman (U.S. Ambassador to Romania, 2019–2021, appointed by President Donald Trump)

While the letter does not mention any specific candidate by name, it comes in the wake of a separate letter written by Adrian Zuckerman, in which he strongly criticizes George Simion (a nationalist Romanian politician and leader of the far-right AUR party), stating that he represents “a clear and present danger to democracy, freedom, and prosperity.”

“He parrots Putin’s playbook, trying to pull Romania out of the European Union, NATO, and its Euro-Atlantic ties, and turn it into an authoritarian state like Russia—a new Belarus,” wrote the former U.S. ambassador.

Zuckerman explicitly called on all non-extremist political parties to „unequivocally support Nicușor Dan” (a moderate Romanian politician and former mayor of Bucharest, not affiliated with extremist platforms).

“I urge all Romanians, especially their political leaders, to examine their conscience and save Romania’s future,” he wrote.

The full letter from the seven former U.S. ambassadors to Romania is reproduced below, along with the full version of Ambassador Zuckerman’s letter.

To our Romanian Friends:

We the undersigned are former US Ambassadors to Romania, Republicans and Democrats, from the Clinton Administration through the Trump Administration. We write not as official representatives of the US Government, nor in any other professional capacity, but as US citizens who committed years of our lives and our reputations to help Americans and Romanians help each other. We have deep affection for Romania and an unwavering commitment to a strong transatlantic alliance between Europe and the US with Romania as a critical bulwark in the security and freedom of both of our nations.

Since some of us have also been asked by Romanians, we share the sentiment expressed by Ambassador Zuckerman in his letter of May 8 (attached)as to the stakes in the election and in his position that only Nicusor Dan serves the best interests of the Romanian- American alliance.

The US presidents who appointed us made clear during our mandates that they were all committed unequivocally to a strong transatlantic alliance with Romania as a mainstay in support of NATO and the EU for the security of America and of Romania. We saw first-hand Romanian’s successful climb from Russian imposed dictatorship to freedom, and integration with the rest of Europe in the EU and alliance with the US through NATO.

Now all of that is at risk. Under Putin, Russia is again on the march. First invading Ukraine. Will Romania be its next target as it was Stalin’s?

Two of us are of Romanian heritage. We understand the struggles that so many Romanian citizens face. But as Americans and as former US Ambassadors to Romania, we also understand how most Americans view Vladimir Putin and his allies. They are mortal threats to security, freedom and prosperity in Romania, all of Europe, and America. And, if Romania elects a pro-Putin president, America’s defense and economic support for ordinary Romanians risk being drastically harmed.

Romanians face a clear historic choice: domination by Russia or your own future allied with America in NATO.

Putin or America.

As friends of Romanians, from Maramures to Constanta and Timisoara to Iasi – every judet and comuna in between– we fervently hope our Romanian friends reaffirm transatlantic values and reject any perceived alliance with Putin’s interests.

We can’t vote in Romania’s presidential election. But you can.

Dumnezeu sa binecuvânteze România! (Translator’s note: May God bless Romania!)

Ambassador Zuckerman’s letter:

My Dear Friends,

I write to you regarding the dire circumstances now facing Romania. I was born in Romania and was fortunate to escape the evils of the communist regime when, as a child, I emigrated to the United States with my family. I was given the opportunity to grow up and live in a free and democratic country. My family survived the Nazis and the Second World War, the legionnaires and the horrific Communist regime. The fall of the Iron Curtain and the revolution of 1989 was a historic liberating moment for Romania which I never thought I would ever see in my lifetime.

I subsequently returned to Romania in 2019. It was the honor of a lifetime when I gratefully accepted President Trump’s nomination to serve as the United States Ambassador to Romania—the homeland of my forefathers. Romania holds a sacred place in my heart. I have unwaveringly strived to advance its democracy, freedom, prosperity and its bilateral relationship with the United States.

Sadly, today we are facing another historic moment – the possibility of an extremist candidate winning the upcoming presidential election on May 18th and reversing all of the progress Romania has made in the last thirty-five years.

This extremist candidate is a clear and present danger to democracy, freedom and prosperity. He parrots Putin’s playbook seeking to remove Romania from the European Union, NATO and its Euro-Atlantic relationship and transform it into an authoritarian state like Russia – a new Belarus.

This extremist tries to cloak himself in the anti-woke, anti DEI and anti-globalist isolationist movement. However, this is but a thin veil to hide Putin’s authoritarian playbook designed to take control of Romania without firing a shot. Romania, along with Poland, is a stalwart defender of Europe’s eastern flank against Russian aggression. It is a prime strategic target for Putin’s Russia in its cyber, hybrid and kinetic acts of war against virtually all European countries.

I urge you not to be misled by this extremist. I urge you to preserve freedom, democracy and prosperity. In the wake of this extremist’s higher than expected first round electoral returns, many of you started having doubts that Romania can be saved. Don’t have these doubts! Romania can be and must be saved from the abyss. Romania should not again be forced into abject poverty, humiliation and isolation. We cannot allow this to happen – we need to stand united, respect each other and continue the path towards a better future. Too many have sacrificed too much and have given their lives for Romania’s democracy, freedom and prosperity.

Don’t argue amongst yourselves about who is to blame or why they are to blame for the extremist’s apparent success. None of you is to blame – the extremist is to blame; the Russians are to blame. The extremist will not succeed if we all unite with a single purpose – to save Romania’s freedom and democracy.

The divisive issues that separated the various political candidates from each other are now over. There is only one candidate now, Nicusor Dan, that needs your support to defeat the extremist. He needs all your unequivocal and undivided support. We must unite behind him.

I commend those political parties that have already publicly stated their undivided and unequivocal support for Nicusor Dan. I urge those remaining non extremist political parties to also unequivocally support Nicusor Dan. I urge all Romanians, especially its political leaders, to examine their conscience and save Romania’s future. The future of your children, grandchildren and future generations are in your hands.

Do not forget that even today thirty-five years after the revolution Romania has still not fully recovered from the damage of fifty years of communist rule. If the extremist is allowed to subjugate Romania to Putin’s authoritarian rule, like Belarus, it will take many generations to get rid of such rule and undo the damage. Do not pay heed to the extremist and his paid foreign and domestic influencers to steal Romania’s freedom. History will remember you and not judge kindly those Romanians who abandoned democracy in favor of extremism.

I urge you to keep hope alive, keep freedom, democracy and prosperity alive, reject extremism and support Nicusor Dan.

May God bless Romania and each and every one of you.

Amb. Adrian Zuckerman(ret)