UKRAINE – Russia has launched a targeted cruise missile attack on military objectives in Lviv, western Ukraine, Russia’s Minister of Defense said. Russia hit a fuel storehouse near Lviv with long-rage precision missiles and used cruise missiles to hit a factory repairing anti-missile systems, radars and tanks, the Russian official said. Inhabitants in Lviv say several people were injured in the missile attacks. Russia also announced it launched several long-rate missiles from the sea to destroy an arsenal of S-300 missiles and BUK anti-air systems near Kyiv. In other news, two humanitarian corridors are expected to allow the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol and other cities, where the humanitarian situation is deteriorating by the day. A representative of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said Russia has started targeting fuel and food warehouses, meaning the Government in Kyiv will need to disperse its stocks of both in the near future.
NATO – Romania’s Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, will be attending the meeting of NATO heads of government from southeastern Europe, held in Sofia. According to a government release, the meeting is hosted by the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Kiril Petkov. It will be an opportunity to discuss the effects of the Russian invasion in Ukraine and security in southeastern Europe, Nicolae Ciucă said. Talks will also focus on the short, medium and long term effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on regional security. The Romanian Prime Minister will also hold talks with his Bulgarian counterpart, Kiril Petkov, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Zdravko Krivokapic, as well as with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovačevski.
ROMANIA-USA – Senate Speaker Florin Cîțu reiterated during talks with Washington officials the need to consolidate NATO’s eastern flank, including by boosting American military presence. 25 years after the signing of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States, the Romanian official reiterated Romania’s commitment to increasing defense spending to 2.5% of GDP and stepping up military cooperation with the United States. In a post on Facebook, Florin Cîțu also argues that one the topics tackled during the talks was the importance of ensuring Europe’s energy security and Romania’s contribution in this respect.
