WAR IN UKRAINE – In the early hours of Thursday
\nmorning, the Russian army launched a tactical strike against Ukraine, targeting
\nmilitary objectives, the Russian Defense Ministry announced, claiming military
\ninfrastructure, air defense installations and airfields of the Ukrainian Air
\nForce have been already taken out of commission. According to international
\nnews agencies, explosions were reported close to the capital Kyiv, in Kharkiv
\nin the east, Mariupol in the south and Odessa, the biggest port on the Black
\nSea. Russian president, Vladimir Putin, said the attack was required to protect
\nthe civilian population in the Russian-speaking and rebel-controlled Donbas,
\nagain accusing the West for not complying with its security demands.
\nPreviously, Russia demanded Ukraine should abandon its NATO accession bid and
\ncalled on the Alliance to withdraw from countries that joined NATO after 1997.
\nPresident Putin claims the military operation is an act of self-defense, aimed
\nat demilitarizing and denazifying Ukraine. Putin called on Ukrainian troops to
\nlay down their weapons and go home, warning at the same time that any country
\nattempting to interfere will face unprecedented consequences. Ukrainian authorities
\nsay the attack came from Belarus, Russia and occupied Crimea. President
\nVolodymyr Zelensky declared martial law across the country, calling on the
\npopulation to stay calm, assuring them Ukraine will prevail. At the same time,
\nUkraine has called on its international partners to immediately introduce new
\nsanctions against Russia. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has called on partner
\nstates to provide weapons and military equipment to boost Kyiv’s defense
\ncapabilities. Western powers have condemned Russia’s attack. In Brussels,
\nEuropean Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen and European Parliament
\npresident, Charles Michel, pledged to hold Moscow accountable. EU leaders will
\ntake part in a flash summit this afternoon to discuss the EU’s response to
\nRussia’s attack. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
ROMANIA AND UKRAINE – Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, at the end of Thursday’s meeting
\nof the Supreme Defense Council, firmly condemned Russia’s unjustified attack on
\nneighboring Ukraine. The president said diplomacy is the only solution to the
\ncurrent crisis, adding that Romania will not be dragged into the military
\nconflict in Ukraine. The president also gave assurances that Romanians should
\nnot fear for the safety of themselves or their families, considering Romania’s
\nstatus as a NATO member state represents a robust security umbrella.
\nPreviously, the government and the entire political class in Bucharest
\ncondemned Russia’s attack. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuc\u0103 set up a task force at
\ngovernment level that will oversee the developments in Ukraine. The Government announced
\nit is monitoring the flow of natural gas in Romania, in order to take the
\nappropriate measures. Government structures are also prepared to receive waves
\nof immigrants. Also in Bucharest, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu has called on
\nthe Romanian mission to NATO to request the activation of Article 4 in the NATO
\nTreaty, allowing allies to discuss collective defense. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
SIIJ – In Bucharest, the Senate’s judicial committee is debating the bill on
\ndisbanding the Section Investigating Crime in Justice, initiated by the
\nGovernment and approved at the end of last week in the Chamber of Deputies. The
\nattributions of the Section will be transferred to regular prosecutor’s
\noffices, and the cases will be handled by special prosecutors. Disbanding the
\nSection is an objective specified in the government programme, also required to
\nlift the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. The draft law will be
\nsubmitted to a vote on Monday in the Senate, the decision-making body in this
\nmatter. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
ENERGY – The new assistance package aimed at subsidizing energy bills is today
\ndebated in Bucharest in a joint ministry committee. Attending will also be
\nrepresentatives of energy distributors, employers’ associations and trade
\nunions. Prime Minister Nicolae
\nCiuc\u0103 said the measures that will apply starting April 1, when the current
\ngovernment scheme is due to expire, will also include a mechanism that will
\nprovide long-term support to the population and the economy. The list of
\nsolutions also includes increasing the cap on subsidized consumption or
\nintroducing a 5% cap on profit across the energy production chain. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
COVID-19 – The 5th wave of the pandemic is slowing down in
\nRomania, and the Government will adjust restrictions, the authorities in
\nBucharest have announced. According to Thursday’s report issued by the Group
\nfor Strategic Communication, 10,749 new COVID-19 infections have been reported
\nwithin the space of 24 hours, in addition to 115 related deaths, of which 10
\nwere prior to the reference period. 1,002 people are currently in intensive
\ncare. (VP)<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A roundup of domestic and international news<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":105208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[35374,36579,29000,36284,36572],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-105721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-covid-19","tag-energy-assistance-bill","tag-president-klaus-iohannis","tag-siij","tag-war-in-ukraine"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n