ICJ The International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ) is to decide today on a Ukrainian demand for an emergency order that Russia halt hostilities immediately. According to dpa and AFP, this is going to be the first verdict of an international tribunal since the war broke out three weeks ago. Ukraine has accused Moscow of having violated the 1948 convention on genocide and has called on ICJ to ask for an immediate cessation of hostilities. Moscow boycotted the hearing in The Hague. The ICJ’s rulings are binding but it has no real means to enforce them. Yesterday the US Senate unanimously passed a resolution condemning Russian president Vladimir Putin as a war criminal, in a rare show of unity in the deeply divided Congress. The resolution encourages the ICJ and also nations to target the Russian military in any investigation of war crimes committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. US president Joe Biden is expected to announce an additional 800 million dollars in security assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday.
VISIT Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is today paying a visit to the neighboring Republic of Moldova for talks with his Moldovan counterpart, Maia Sandu. Iohannis is accompanied by the country’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca. In February, Iohannis talked over the phone with Sandu, reiterating Romania’s full support for the Republic of Moldova and its citizens in this dramatic regional context. The two leaders agreed that Romania and the Republic of Moldova coordinate their actions to provide the necessary assistance to the Ukrainian refugees. On March 3rd, Maia Sandu signed the Republic of Moldova’s request to join the European Union, a move hailed by Iohannis, who pledged Romania’s support in this respect as well.
SUMMIT Romanian Defence Minister Vasile Dincu is attending a special meeting of NATO defence ministers underway in Brussels. The event is taking place under the coordination of NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg against the background of the war in Ukraine and is representing a major landmark in the process of adjusting the alliance to the present security context before the Madrid summit over June 29th and 30th. The first part of this meeting has been devoted to the security situation in Ukraine and the conflict’s implications for the alliance and its partners and will have as invitees defence ministers from Sweden, Finland, Georgia and Ukraine. The event also involves the participation of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borell. The second part will be hosting debates over the process of adjusting the alliance’s long-term collective posture so that it may be able to respond the new security realities at its borders.
REFUGEES According to the latest border police reports, over 15 thousand Ukrainian refugees entered Romania on Tuesday. Since the beginning of the crisis until March 15th, a total number of 440 thousand refugees entered Romania.
Radio Romania International – 16 martie
