Romania's 1940 territorial negotiations and the Vienna Dictate

Historical records detail the failed diplomatic negotiations between Romania and Hungary in August 1940, which preceded the Vienna Dictate. Between August 16 and 24, 1940, delegations met in Turnu Severin. The Hungarian delegation sought the annexation of more than half of Transylvania, while the Romanian delegation proposed only a population exchange. The failure of these talks led to the formal arbitration in Vienna on August 30, 1940.

During this period, King Carol II attempted to pivot Romania's foreign policy toward Nazi Germany to secure protection following Soviet territorial demands regarding Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. Despite the King's efforts to abandon Anglo-French guarantees to appease Berlin, Germany exerted significant pressure on Bucharest. Historical accounts indicate that Adolf Hitler viewed the potential destruction of Romania as a possibility and pressured the Romanian government to accept territorial concessions to both Hungary and Bulgaria.