The heads of state of Portugal and Romania highlighted this Saturday, in Lisbon, that they see “the world in the same way” and that they support and will unconditionally support Ukraine.
“We were, we are and we will be on the side of Ukraine,” highlighted the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in a joint press conference at the Belém Palace, within the framework of the state visit to Portugal of the head of State of Romania.
“From the first day I have stated that Romania will support Ukraine in whatever is necessary, without conditions,” confirmed Klaus Iohannis, committing to “contribute even more to facilitating the transit of Ukrainian grains.”
“We never hinder this traffic […]unlike other neighboring countries,” he pointed out.
During the Russian invasion, 25 million tons of agricultural products from Ukraine have already passed through Romania, Klaus Iohannis said, explaining that this means that “the majority of Ukrainian grain already passes through Romania on its way to international markets.”
Bucharest will also make its territorial waters available to the flow of these agricultural products, he stressed, recognizing that the current situation has generated discussions with Romanian producers.
However, he stressed, these talks will not change Romania’s open position. Regarding the sale of Ukrainian agricultural products, Klaus Iohannis said that the process is being decided together with the kyiv authorities.
Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports on the Danube have been repeated and, at least twice, fragments of Russian ‘drones’ were found on the Romanian side, that is, in the territory of the Atlantic Alliance (NATO).
The incidents led Romania to activate telephone alerts to warn residents in border areas of possible risks, as well as the construction of two air raid shelters in the city of Plauru.
Russia intensified attacks on river ports in western Ukraine after suspending its participation in the United Nations-sponsored deal in July that allowed the export of war-blocked Ukrainian grains considered crucial to food security around the world. world.
Ukraine’s Western allies have accused Russia of endangering global food security by trying to prevent grain from leaving the country it invaded on February 24, 2022.
Before the war, Ukraine and Russia together supplied 28% of the world’s wheat, 29% of barley, 15% of corn and 75% of sunflower oil, according to the British magazine The Economist.
Source: TSF
