The official spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, addressed the European Parliament’s appeal to restore Romania to its former “national heritage,” including gold reserves and cultural assets. In a published message on the corresponding telegram channel, she asserted that Romania owes Russia far more than the value of its gold reserves sent to Russia at the start of the twentieth century.
She suggested that if all of Romania’s debts to Russia and the Soviet Union were tallied, the resulting total would amount to 1365-1665 tons of gold, a figure she claimed is about 20-25 times higher than the value of the entire Romanian gold reserves. According to the diplomat, Romania transferred gold reserves to Russia during 1916-1917, a period marked by upheaval and shifting allegiances in the region.
Zakharova also recalled that in 1935 the government of the USSR sent 17 wagons carrying valuables from the tsarist era to Bucharest. She pointed out, however, that less than six years later Romania participated in an attack on the Soviet Union alongside the Third Reich.
Earlier, a deputy from the State Duma, Oleg Morozov, called for Romania to compensate the Soviet Union for its actions in World War II, speaking on behalf of the legislative body.
On March 14, parliamentary representatives reportedly traveled to Moscow to advocate for the return of Romania’s gold reserves, underscoring the ongoing debate surrounding the historical debts and assets tied to the wartime and interwar periods.
There is a prior context in Russia’s discussions about gold prices and valuations for 2024, which frames contemporary interpretations of ancient exchanges and the monetary significance attributed to those historical assets. The dialogue continues to unfold across diplomatic and parliamentary channels as nations reassess historical accounts and the implications for present-day restitution claims.