March 7, 2022
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 07.03.2022, 14:04
UKRAINE — Russian forces continue their attack on Ukrainian cities. In Irpin, a locality near Kyiv, Russian bombs hit a bridge used by the refugees, killing several people. In the besieged city of Mariupol, two attempts to open humanitarian corridors have failed, with the two parties accusing each other of breaching the ceasefire accord. Kyiv has warned that Russian forces are preparing an attack on Odessa, Ukraine’s main port city. President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned Russian attacks on civilians saying this crime will never be forgotten. The Ukrainian army has announced it regained control of the city of Chuhuiv, in the Kharkiv region. Ukrainian ground forces say Russia has lost over 11 thousand soldiers and a lot of military equipment, among which almost 300 tanks and some 1,000 armored vehicles. In turn, the Russian army has announced it will open new safe passage corridors today in a number of cities. In a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is determined to reach its objectives in Ukraine no matter what, either by negotiations or by war. Pope Francis on Sunday called for an end to the war and for humanitarian corridors to be opened to evacuate civilians. Alongside leaders from all over the world, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Putin to put an end to the war in Ukraine, open safe passage corridors and sign a peace accord. More than 1.5 million Ukrainians have the country since February 24.
DEFENSE- Russia’s threats regarding the possibility for Ukrainian aircraft to use airports in the neighboring countries is a rhetoric aimed at diverting attention from what happens in Ukraine, where civilians are being killed. The statement was made by Romanian PM Nicolae Ciuca at a private TV station where he explained that a single Ukrainian jet entered Romania’s air space on the first day of Russian invasion, a jet which left Romania unarmed. Russia had previously warned the countries neighboring Ukraine, Romania included, that they will be considered involved in the conflict if they receive, on their territory, Ukrainian military aircraft. In another development, the military base in Mihail Kogalniceanu, south eastern Romania, hosts pilots and technical personnel for 14 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Germany and Italy. They have joined the Romanian fighter jets and another 8 American F-16 Fighting Falcon jets for air patrol missions. The Bucharest Government wants to pass this week a draft law allowing more NATO troops to be stationed in Romania. Also this week, the Romanian Government will send to Brussels official data regarding the expenditure with the refugees from Ukraine. The amount, of around 10 million euros, will be reimbursed from the European funds available for such situations. Meanwhile, in Suveava, in northern Romania, works are under way for the setting up of the Logistical Centre for Humanitarian Aid for Ukraine.
MEETING – Romanian defense Minsiter, Vasile Dancu, will meet on Monday with his Dutch counterpart, Kajsa Ollongren, at the Military base in Mihail Kogalniceanu, south eastern Romania. According to the Romanian Defense Ministry, 150 Dutch military have been deployed at the base in Mihail Kogalniceanu, to take part, between March 2 and 24, in the Rapid Falcon 22 multinational exercise in Tulcea, in the south east. Also attending will be Romanian troops and Romanian and American military jets. The purpose of this drill is joint training, enhancing interoperability and reaction and developing functional relations among participating countries.
TALKS – Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu is today having talks with his Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly, who is on an official visit to Romania. The two officials will discuss the 55th anniversary this year of uninterrupted ties between Romania and Canada and bilateral strategic cooperation. Talks will also focus on the Russian aggression against Ukraine and its humanitarian and security consequences, as well as on the efficient and coherent response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis through the rapid involvement of the European institutions, EU member states and other partners such as Canada, the UK and the US.
CORONAVIRUS – Some 3,188 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were registered in 24 hours in Romania, the authorities in Bucharest have announced. 32 related deaths have also been reported, one of which prior to the reference period. On Friday, President Klaus Iohannis announced that the state of alert would not be extended in Romania after March 8. The president has said that the COVID-19 epidemic is now on an accelerated downward trend, and wave 5 is about to end. Established in May 2020, after a two-month state of emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of alert has led to numerous restrictions, which have affected economic development and social cohesion in the country. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, over 2.7 million cases of COVID-19 have been registered in Romania, and over 63 thousand people infected with the new coronavirus have died. (EE)
