April 4, 2022 UPDATE

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, addressed Romania's Parliament.

România Internațional, 04.04.2022, 20:26

ADDRESS – Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday evening addressed, by video call, the plenary sitting of Romanias Parliament. He called on the Romanian MPs to close down ports for Russian ships, ban commercial transport to and from Russia, suspend imports of Russian energy and impose new sanctions on that country. Images of the massacre in Bucha were screened in the Parliament hall and, before Zelensky’s address, Romanian deputies and senators held a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. President Zelensky also mentioned in his address the fight of the Romanian people against communism and against dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. He ended his address by thanking Romania for the support it granted to the Ukrainian refugees.

UKRAINE – Ukrainian authorities are investigating possible war crimes committed by Russia after hundreds of civilian bodies, some of them tied and shot at close range were found in the towns around the capital Kyiv. The corpses were found after Russian troops had withdrawn to prepare attacks on other parts of Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the images as a “punch in the stomach” while the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, called for an independent investigation into the killing of civilians. The US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has accused members of the Russian army of war crimes in Ukraine and has said they must be brought to justice together with president Putin. The American official visited on Monday the refugee centre in Bucharest’s Gara de Nord train station and talked with the volunteers. She thanked all Romanians for their generosity towards the Ukrainian refugees. Putin and his supporters will feel the consequences of their actions, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in turn, adding that the western allies will decide on fresh sanctions in the upcoming days. Japan has announced it will also discuss with the allies about new sanctions on Russia.

REACTIONS – Images from Bucha and other Ukrainian cities must remind the whole world that this illegal aggression must be stopped and those found responsible must pay, said Romanian president Klaus Iohannis in response to what Ukraine described as war crimes committed by the Russian military in towns around the capital Kyiv. Romanian prime minister Nicolae Ciuca and foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu also called for these crimes to be brought before the international justice system. Ukrainian authorities said hundreds of civilian bodies were recovered and that almost 300 people had been buried in mass graves in Bucha. They accused the Russian army of committing a massacre. Russia denied the accusations saying the images are fake.

TALKS – Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu said Monday that the massacre in Bucha was Russia’s responsibility as the war crime happened during the Russian occupation of that area. The statements were made during debates staged by the think thank New Strategy Centre, attended by the Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets, who travelled to Bucharest at Aurescus invitation. “We must do everything we can to stop this illegal war against Ukraine. And we must do everything we can to bring to justice all those responsible for this massacre”, Aurescu also said. He pleaded for fresh sanctions against Russia and for the consolidation of NATO’s eastern flank. The two ministers are attending a conference to discuss the Russian aggression against Ukraine and how to build a more resilient NATO eastern flank, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. Talks also are looking at ways to further develop bilateral ties, in particular economic and sectoral cooperation and to expand cooperation within regional alliances the two states are both part of, such as the Three Seas Initiatives and the Bucharest Nine. The two officials are also expected to inaugurate an exhibition to celebrate the 100 years of bilateral relations between Romania and Estonia. In turn, the Estonian official said Russia must be further isolated politically and economically, adding that it is important for the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations to be held without military pressure. Eva-Maria Liimets also said that there is no more trust in Russia so NATO’s security, deterrence and defence posture has to be further consolidated.

SERBIA – Presidential and legislative elections were held on Sunday in Serbia and the counting of 93% of the ballots showed that president Aleksandar Vucic and his populist party scored a landslide victory with the backing of around 60% of the voters. This means no runoff is needed. Vucic is seen as the closest ally of Russia and China in the Western Balkans in spite of the fact that officially his country has European aspirations. His main contender, Zlatko Ponos, won 17% of the votes. (EE)