MEETING – The balanced, long-term consolidating of NATO’s defense and deterrence posture must be accelerated, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday following his meeting with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo. The president argued in favor of a unitary, coherent and robust defense on the eastern flank in order to ensure a more efficient deterrence, particularly in the Black Sea. Klaus Iohannis said a Belgian military unit is currently deployed to Romania as part of NATO’s Response Force and thanked Prime Minister De Croo for his support. The Belgian official said Belgium and Romania are close partners in the EU and NATO, and that Vladimir Putin’s war has strengthened these ties. NATO is here, it is strong, and it is an organization we can rely on. Your border is our border, and together we will defend it, Belgium’s Prime Minister also said.
UKRAINE – Ukraine’s Finance Minister, Serhiy Marchenko, has called on the international community to provide immediate financial support to allow Ukraine to survive the huge budget deficit generated by the Russian invasion, Financial Times writes. The Ukrainian official painted a rather grim picture of Ukrainian economy, estimating total losses sustained by civilian and military infrastructure at some $270 billion. The coming period will be crucial for Ukraine, Western officials say, since Russian troops are resupplying and redeploying. On the other hand, the White House expects even greater atrocities in Ukraine committed by the Russian troops under the command of General Aleksandr Dvornikov, recently appointed commander of Russia’s operations in Ukraine. Known as the „Syrian butcher”, Dvornikov commanded the Russian forces involved in the Syrian civil war, when they brutally bombed numerous civilian targets. The US and the UK are looking into reports according to which chemical weapons have been used by Russian forces in attacks on Mariupol, a strategic port city under siege for more than a month. The Ukrainian Azov Battalion, barricaded in Mariupol, claims that a Russian drone dropped a ‘toxic substance’ on soldiers and civilians in the area, saying that several people reported respiratory and neurological problems. Over 10,000 civilians have been killed in Mariupol since the invasion began, Mayor Vadim Boychenko announced.
REFUGEES – Over 72,000 people, of whom 8,350 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania on Monday, according to the Border Police. Since the start of the Russian invasion, some 685 thousand Ukrainian citizens have entered the country. On the other hand, the Romanian Red Cross has assisted over 250 thousand people from Ukraine with information and services in order to reconnect with their families. As part of its campaign “Humanity has no borders”, the Red Cross has so far raised over €6.7 million. Humanitarian activities will continue to address both Ukrainian citizens who have reached Romania, as well as those who remained in Ukraine, the Romanian Red Cross director, Ioan Silviu Lefter, has said.
CONFERENCE – EU Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, on Tuesday attended a videoconference jointly with officials from Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu pointed out Romania plays a key role in ensuring the flow of goods to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, and thus is essential for the economy of the two countries. Since the start of the invasion, Romania’s maritime, rail, road and air infrastructure has provided vital transport routes for the transit of goods and raw materials, Sorin Grindeanu argued. The Romanian official said enhancing the operational capacity of the port of Constanța on the Romanian Black Sea provides substantial support to the trading of goods to and from Ukraine via the Republic of Moldova.
(Radio Romania International)
