January 23, 2026
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 23.01.2026, 13:55
MEMBERSHIP – Romania has not yet made a decision regarding the United States’ invitation to join the so-called “board of peace” which was launched on Thursday in Davos by President Donald Trump. So far, 35 countries, including Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, have agreed to join it. Among them, there is no permanent member of the UN Security Council, except for the United States, but Russia has said that it will consider the American invitation to join the “board of peace”. Critics of this board say that it includes too many countries with authoritarian regimes and that it is trying to replace the United Nations. Press agencies also note that many Western democracies do not agree with the possible inclusion of Russia, an aggressor state, in the “board of peace”. The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, also said that the European Union has “serious doubts” regarding the board of peace, while the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, sees possible collaboration on the Gaza issue.
ECONOMY – The Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Ţoiu participated in Davos in a meeting on the future of global trade, held within the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. The debate brought together decision-makers at the highest level to discuss the adaptation of global trade flows to new geopolitical realities. “Maintaining economic and trade dialogue has direct positive consequences also on reducing security risks, and trade remains a pillar of stability in a fragmented world”, Oana Ţoiu pointed out.
UNION – The Ministry of National Defense in Bucharest, together with local authorities, is organizing, on Saturday, military and religious ceremonies dedicated to the 167th anniversary of the Union of the Romanian Principalities. Carried out under the leadership of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the union of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia was the first stage in the creation of the modern Romanian unitary state. The international recognition of the Union and the measures adopted in the years that followed led to the achievement and recognition of Romania’s independence in 1877 – 1878 and to the fulfillment of the national ideal of the union of all Romanians in 1918.
TALKS – Ukraine, Russia and the US are today holding trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi, following a series of separate talks between US officials and the Ukrainian and Russian sides. In Davos, President Donald Trump met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said that the security guarantees that the United States will offer to Ukraine had been agreed upon. Zelenskyy also said that the only issue left to negotiate is the one regarding the territory. Russia claims all of Donbas and part of southern Ukraine, but Kyiv has so far rejected the idea of giving up territory. A compromise solution would be for both sides to withdraw from Donbas, which would become a free economic zone. It is not clear, however, whether Russia would accept such an option. Vladimir Putin met with Donald Trump’s emissaries late last night and said that a long-term settlement cannot be reached unless the territorial issue is resolved. The Kremlin leader, however, accepted the participation of a Russian delegation in today’s talks in Abu Dhabi.
SUMMIT – The European Union’s relationship with the United States is far too important, so the bloc will get over the latest tense episode, European leaders said at the end of Thursday’s emergency summit in Brussels, convened after President Donald Trump’s attempts to take control of Greenland. The EU agrees that it needs to focus more on the security of the Arctic region, and to this end, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a doubling of investments in Greenland, a possible European icebreaker fleet from defense funds, as well as coordination with NATO to better protect the region. President Nicuşor Dan, who attended the Brussels meeting, said he did not rule out that Romania, as a NATO member, could participate in missions in the Arctic region in the future.
FOOTBALL – Romanian football champion FCSB was defeated by Croatian vice-champion Dinamo Zagreb, 4-1, on Thursday evening, in the penultimate round of the Europa League. It is the most crushing defeat suffered this season in the Europa League by FCSB, who now occupy 29th place, two points away from the play-off zone for the round of 16. The Romanian team must win the match with Fenerbahce, on January 29, in Bucharest, but it also depends on the other results.
TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse plays today against Russian Mirra Andreeva for the qualification to the round of 16 of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year. Ruse is ranked 79th in the world, while Andreeva is ranked 7th. (EE)
