September 7, 2026 UPDATE

A roundup of national and international news.

Newsroom, 07.09.2026, 20:00

WAR – US envoy Steve Witkoff, who was sent by Donald Trump to Moscow and Kyiv, spoke on Monday of “substantial progress” during the visit, with a view to resuming negotiations aimed at ending the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, AFP reports. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner presented the parties with a peace proposal from President Donald Trump. Following the US envoys’ visits to Moscow and Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that he was preparing the next stages of the negotiations. After talks in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Ukraine must give up sovereignty over a substantial part of its territory. US mediation efforts since Donald Trump returned to power have led to several rounds of talks between Moscow and Kyiv in 2025, but these failed to produce results, and the process has stalled since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East in February, AFP also reports.

WILDFIRE – Around 20 Romanian firefighters are currently assisting Bulgarian authorities in tackling wildfires on Boril Island. According to the General Inspectorate for Emergencies, the team is working to reduce the risk of the fire spreading, protect local communities and limit the impact on affected areas. Meanwhile, on Saturday, the 69 Romanian firefighters who had spent two weeks operating in Serbia returned home after helping their counterparts in the neighboring country battle wildfires which affected large areas and entire communities. A third contingent of 40 Romanian firefighters arrived in Greece last week, replacing teams which had spent two weeks tackling fires in the country.

DEFENCE– Romania’s President, Nicuşor Dan, convened on Monday a meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defence. According to the Presidential Administration, the agenda included the ten-year military procurement plan, an analysis document on the implementation of the SAFE programme, approved last month, as well as the strengthening of the US military presence in Romania. Other current national security issues were also discussed, the Presidential Administration said.

PM – Romania’s President, Nicuşor Dan, is expected to announce his candidate for prime minister in the coming days. The PNL and USR, both right-wing parties which, together with the UDMR, are currently supporting Romania’s interim government in Bucharest, have categorically refused to join a government alongside the PSD, the left-wing party now in opposition. The PSD says it is ready to build a parliamentary majority to support a single-party government made up of its own ministers, or a broader cabinet formed around the PSD. Meanwhile, the nationalist opposition, represented by AUR, which has been gaining strongly in the opinion polls, is calling for early elections. Romania has not had a stable government since the beginning of May, following the passage in Parliament of a no-confidence motion against the cabinet led by liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, who continues to serve as caretaker prime minister.

ECONOMY – Romania’s economy remained unchanged in the second quarter of this year compared with the first quarter, but contracted by 2% compared with the same period last year, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). Construction made the largest positive contribution, following a 12.3% increase in activity, while transport, retail and the hospitality sector weighed on the economy. Household consumption fell by 2.5%, while imports grew faster than exports, the INS data also showed.

(EE)