Ukraine 35
Romania reaffirms its solidarity with neighbouring Ukraine, invaded by Russian troops
Bogdan Matei, 25.08.2026, 14:00
In August 1991, after the coup against the last communist leader in the Kremlin, the reformer Mikhail Gorbachev failed, the Soviet republics proclaimed their independence from Moscow, one after another. But Vladimir Putin’s Russia quickly regained its hunger for territory and thirst for blood. In 2008, it invaded Georgia. And on February 24, 2022, it attacked Ukraine and unleashed the largest military conflict in post-war Europe.
Today, about one-fifth of the internationally recognised territory of Ukraine is under occupation, while drones and missiles launched by the invading Russian army kill children, women, and the elderly every night.
On Monday, August 24, exactly 35 years after the proclamation of its independence, Kyiv hosted a new meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, made up of over 30 countries that support Ukraine. The meeting took place in a hybrid format, with some leaders present in the Ukrainian capital, and others joining the talks via a conference call, as did the president of neighbouring Romania, Nicușor Dan.
“It was a welcome opportunity to reaffirm our full support for Ukraine and we continued discussions on finalizing a robust framework of security guarantees. We also addressed the increasing number of drone incidents on NATO borders and other hybrid activities coordinated by Russia, as well as the need for safe navigation and trade routes in the Black Sea,” the Romanian head of state posted on X.
“We continue to put pressure on Russia, so that we can reach a sustainable and just peace. We strongly condemned Russia’s most recent attacks on the Ukrainian civilian population, an act of irresponsibility and cruelty,” president Dan added.
A NATO and EU member state, Romania has a 614 km long land border with Ukraine, and over the last four years it has seen many Russian drones entering its airspace and mines floating in the Black Sea, affecting vital trade and energy routes.
Also on August 24 this year, over 100 of the many Ukrainians who found refuge in Romania gathered in front of their embassy in Bucharest, to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day. They wore national flags and traditional costumes. After the Ukrainian and Romanian anthems were performed, local and foreign officials conveyed messages of peace and solidarity with Ukraine. Scores of members of the diplomatic missions in Bucharest, as well as Romanian civil society and mass media members attended.
The embassy fence, the reporters note, was covered in photographs showing Russian crimes committed on Ukrainian territory. But there were also posters and photos of young people and refugee children who had been helped to integrate in the Romanian education system and society. (AMP)
