UKRAINE The Romanian transport ministry launched an app for the Ukrainian refugees. The app includes information in Ukrainian, English and Romanian on the green transport corridors in Romania, covering areas like the road, railway and air network, customs offices, train stations, petrol stations and airports. Ukrainian refugees may travel free of charge in Romania, based on a government resolution in this respect. Moreover, the emergency number 112 and the special children emergency number, 119, are available for calls in Ukrainian as well. Additional measures were taken in border checkpoints to prevent human trafficking. As of Friday, another online platform has also been available, centralising assistance offers for displaced Ukrainians. On Saturday, several cities in Romania saw various solidarity actions with Ukraine. In Bucharest, the National Arena hosted a charity concert for refugees, with over 35 Romanian and foreign artists taking part, which raised some EUR 800,000. Solidarity events were also organised in Constanţa, Iaşi, Cluj-Napoca, Piatra Neamţ and Roman. Around 400,000 Ukrainian nationals have entered Romania since the start of the Russian invasion. Many of them have already left for western Europe. (Radio Romania International)
FOODSTUFF The agriculture minister Adrian Chesnoiu has a meeting today with representatives of retail chains and Romanian sunflower oil producers, to assess stocks and reserves. The meeting comes amid substantial amounts of sunflower oil were purchased in recent days for fear that shops would run out of this product. Speculations on the topic are fuelled by the fact that war-affected Ukraine is the world’s biggest sunflower seed exporter. Romanian authorities promised that Romania has sufficient foodstuff stocks, including sunflower oil. They also recommend that people refrain from buying more than they need, so that everybody may have access to basic food stuffs. Just days before, for fear of skyrocketing fuel prices, unprecedented queuing was reported in petrol stations. The previous weekend, foreign currency was heavily purchased in Romania, amid rumours that the national currency would plummet. Romanian authorities warned once again that such fake news is designed to create panic among people. (Radio Romania International)
VISIT The Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid thanked Romania, during a visit to Bucharest on Sunday, for the assistance given to Ukrainian refugees, especially Israelis, and praised the long-lasting Israeli-Romanian friendship. He called on the Russian Federation to resolve the conflict with Ukraine through negotiations. „We will do everything in our power to reach a solution for peace. We are working together with our allies-the US and European partners-to try to end this tragedy as soon as possible,” the Israeli foreign minister said. In turn, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu reiterated Romania’s commitment to providing continuing assistance for the evacuation of Israeli citizens and Jewish people from Ukraine. „The severe multidimensional crisis caused by Russia’s illegal military aggression against Ukraine is not just a regional problem, not only a European problem, but has effects on a global scale,” Bogdan Aurescu said. During his meeting with the Israeli official, the Romanian PM Nicolae Ciucǎ firmly condemned Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and illegal aggression in Ukraine, and praised the EU’s and NATO’s strong and unified response to consolidate the eastern flank and to guarantee security. (Radio Romania International)
CONSULTATIONS The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu is having political consultations in Bucharest on Monday with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio. The visit takes place in the context of Russia’s illegal military aggression in Ukraine and of Italy’s interest in supporting the management of the Ukrainian refugee crisis. Bogdan Aurescu and Luigi Di Maio will discuss means to manage the multiple effects of the Russian invasion, on efforts to stop the conflict, on sanctions against Russia and on consolidating NATO’s eastern flank. On the other hand, the 2 foreign ministers will discuss means to develop and deepen the Romanian-Italian consolidated strategic partnership and the bilateral and sectoral economic cooperation. (Radio Romania International)
UKRAINE Russian shelling continued in Ukraine on Sunday. NATO expects the fighting and the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine to get worse in the coming days. The Alliance’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg has once again called on Vladimir Putin „to stop the war, to pull out all troops and accept diplomacy.” In Vatican, Pope Francis voiced on Sunday his harshest condemnation yet of the war in Ukraine, saying that „the unacceptable armed aggression” must end. Pope Francis added that bombing hospitals and other civilian targets is „barbaric” and has no „valid strategic reason.” (Radio Romania International)
