Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Romania on Tuesday to meet with his counterpart Klaus Iohannis, in a visit that follows several Russian bombings of Danube ports located on the border between the two countries.
“I arrived in Bucharest, Romania, to meet Klaus Iohannis and to strengthen our good neighborly relations,” Zelensky said on the social network X (formerly Twitter), thanking his neighbor for his support against Moscow.
I arrived in Bucharest, Romania, for interviews with @KlausIohannis and to strengthen our good neighborly relations.
Ukraine is grateful for Romania’s support, which strengthens our state, and for its constructive solidarity, which enables our nations to be security donors for the…
– Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 10, 2023
The meeting’s agenda will include the security situation in the Black Sea, as Russia has intensified its attacks in recent months in the Danube region, near NATO member Romania, where several drone wrecks have been discovered.
The topics to be discussed during this first visit since the invasion of Ukraine also include “the expansion of cross-border connections and the development of economic relations”, the Romanian presidency said in a statement.
Since the launch of the Russian offensive against Ukraine, access to the Black Sea has been very difficult, meaning that Romania has become a vital point for the transportation of goods, especially the grains exported by Kiev.
In total, 60% of Ukraine’s grain exports pass through this country and unlike Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, Romania in September did not extend the embargo on the import of these Ukrainian goods, which had been approved as a measure by Brussels in the spring. temporary measure.
In his message, Volodymyr Zelensky praised Bucharest’s “constructive solidarity”, especially “with regard to food security”.
After the meeting with Klaus Iohannis at the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest, scheduled for 12 noon local time (10 a.m. in Lisbon), the Ukrainian head of state is expected to address parliament, followed by a scheduled meeting with the prime minister. Minister, minister, Marcel Ciolacu.
Source: DN
