Zelensky arrived in Romania to strengthen relations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Romania on Tuesday to meet with his counterpart Klaus Iohannis. This visit came after several Russian bombings of the Danube ports located on the border between the two countries.

“I arrived in Bucharest, Romania to meet with Klaus Iohannis and strengthen our good neighborly relations,” Zelensky said on the social network X (formerly Twitter), thanking his neighbor for his support against Moscow.

High on the agenda for the meeting is the security situation in the Black Sea as Russia has stepped up its attacks in recent months in the Danube region, very close to NATO member Romania, where several drone wrecks have been found.

Among the topics that will be discussed during this first visit after the invasion of Ukraine is also “the expansion of cross-border ties and the development of economic relations,” the Romanian presidency specified in a statement released today.

Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, access to the Black Sea has been very difficult, meaning that Romania has become an important point for the transport of goods, particularly grains, exported by Kiev.

In total, 60% of Ukrainian grain exports pass through this country, and, unlike Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, Romania did not extend in September the embargo on the import of these Ukrainian goods, approved by Brussels in the spring as a temporary measure.

In his message, Vladimir Zelensky praised the “constructive solidarity” of Bucharest, especially “with regard to food security.”

After a meeting with Klaus Iohannis at the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest, scheduled for 12:00 local time (10:00 Lisbon time), the Ukrainian head of state is expected to address parliament, followed by a scheduled meeting with the prime minister. Minister, Minister Marcel Ciolaku.