Romania urges Preparation for World War 3 with Russia ‘in the immediate future’

Romanian Chief of Defense Staff General Gheorghita Vlad has advocated for the training of ordinary citizens for potential conflict with Russia, warning that such a war could erupt “in the immediate future.”

The general expressed concerns about the Russian Federation’s impact on the world order, predicting that Russian President Vladimir Putin might not stop at victory in Ukraine but could target Moldova or the western Balkans soon.

General Vlad urged NATO states to prepare their populations and proposed expanding Romania’s military forces, both in terms of professional soldiers and civilians.

In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, General Vlad emphasized that Romania’s current professional military is not adequately prepared for a potential war, citing a significant reduction in the number of full-time soldiers.

To address this gap, he recommended increasing the number of full-time troops to 120,000 and proposed training civilians between the ages of 18 and 35 in basic warfare principles.

When asked about conscription, Vlad clarified that any such system would be voluntary, with training provided only to those willing to participate, highlighting the negative impact of ending conscription for Romania and all NATO countries.

Although Romania’s current Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, called for calm and asserted that Romania would not enter into any war, the parliament is currently considering a bill to reintroduce a conscription-like system.

General Vlad indicated that the bill would be given priority discussion after elections later this year. The general’s statements align with a trend among European political and military leaders who have expressed concerns about an imminent war with Russia.

Despite such predictions, Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed them as “complete nonsense” and emphasized that Russia has no interest in attacking NATO territory.