Diana Șoșoacă, a controversial Romanian Member of the European Parliament known for her far-right, pro-Russian stance, has once again sparked outrage after publicly threatening Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Speaking during a visit to Moscow, Șoșoacă boasted that she had prevented Zelensky from addressing the Romanian parliament in 2023 and declared bluntly: “If he dares to come to my parliament, I’ll break his legs.”
The remarks were made at a gathering of the International Association “Friends of Russia,” chaired by the Italian activist Pietro Stramezzi, and came amid other high-profile appearances in Russia, including her attendance at the 20th anniversary event of the RT channel where Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a keynote. Observers say Șoșoacă’s presence at those events, and her open embrace of Kremlin narratives, underline her role as one of Romania’s most outspoken Eurosceptic and Russophile politicians.
Șoșoacă’s speech in Moscow repeated a number of widely debunked Kremlin talking points. She claimed that more than a million Romanians living in Ukraine are “oppressed” and forbidden to speak Romanian or practice Orthodox Christianity — assertions that commentators and fact-checkers say are exaggerated or false and that echo Russian propaganda about minority rights in Ukraine. Her account of being “highly praised by the youth” and of receiving applause for her “nationalist message” was delivered with evident pride.
The MEP’s conduct has renewed criticism at home and abroad. Șoșoacă has a long record of provocative statements and actions: she rose to prominence as an anti-vaccine activist, later served as a Romanian senator and in 2024 entered the European Parliament; she has been accused repeatedly of undermining democratic norms and of cozying up to Moscow. Romanian and international commentators view her latest threats as part of a pattern that mixes theatrical nationalism, conspiracy rhetoric and overt sympathy for Russian positions.
Her claim of blocking Zelensky’s speech in 2023 refers to a tense episode in Bucharest when Zelensky’s planned parliamentary address was postponed amid political frictions; far-right actors in Romania, including Șoșoacă and allied groups, publicly opposed the visit and celebrated the cancellation. Analysts note that efforts to disrupt or prevent such speeches fit a broader European trend in which fringe parties exploit diplomatic moments for domestic political gain.
The threat to physically assault a sitting president raises legal and ethical questions. While politicians often trade harsh words, a public promise of violence crosses into territory that many legal systems and parliamentary codes deem unacceptable for elected representatives. Human rights groups and mainstream parties in Romania have previously condemned Șoșoacă’s rhetoric; this episode is likely to intensify calls for disciplinary or legal scrutiny.
For Kyiv and its Western partners, such provocations carry diplomatic weight. Romania is a NATO and EU member and an important neighbor to Ukraine; statements from a Romanian MEP that echo Russian disinformation or threaten the Ukrainian head of state complicate bilateral and alliance messaging at a time when unity among democracies is seen as crucial. Romanian authorities and parliamentary groups will now be under pressure to distance official policy from the inflammatory comments of an individual MEP.
Diana Șoșoacă’s behavior poses a test for EU institutions as well. The European Parliament has mechanisms to censure or sanction members for conduct incompatible with parliamentary duties, but action is politically fraught and requires broad consensus. As the controversy unfolds, diplomats and lawmakers will be watching whether Bucharest and Brussels choose to treat the incident as isolated grandstanding or a symptom of a wider problem of disinformation and influence that merits a coordinated response.
In the short term, Șoșoacă’s comments are likely to dominate headlines and social media, fueling outrage in Ukraine and among pro-Ukrainian audiences in Romania and beyond. Whether the episode leads to formal sanctions, legal consequences or merely another round of condemnation will depend on domestic Romanian politics and the willingness of European institutions to act against inflammatory rhetoric from within their own ranks.
