US Envoy Guilfoyle Linked US to Bolojan Government Fall

US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle told a March dinner in Athens that the United States was involved in the collapse of Romania's Bolojan government and could replicate such action in Greece, according to Wall Street Journal sources. The remark sparked a heated exchange with Greek Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou, who replied that the US cannot replace a government elected by the Greek people. Guilfoyle's attorney disputes the account of the confrontation.

Guilfoyle, a key promoter of the Vertical Gas Corridor project in the region, had pushed for Romania to buy US gas at above-market prices. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan rejected the consortium's request. The dinner occurred as Romania's PSD party moved to exit the coalition with Bolojan's PNL, culminating in an April internal referendum and a May no-confidence vote that toppled the government.

“We can do this to any country we want. We can do it here too.”

PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu met with Guilfoyle and presidential adviser Florin Vlădică in Bucharest on March 31, weeks before the coalition's formal break. The Wall Street Journal report links the ambassador's pressure to the energy corridor dispute, though the Romanian government's fall was driven by domestic political dynamics.