Romania and the US support Ukraine

Bucharest and Washington reaffirm their support for Ukraine.

Bogdan Matei, 29.06.2023, 13:50

Through their military strength, unique in the world,
and the enormous contribution to the NATO budget, the US has often been
described as the first among equals within NATO. Through its neighbourhood with
Ukraine, which was last year invaded by the Russian troops, Romania – itself a
NATO member and linked to the US by a 25-year long strategic partnership – has
been an essential player in the efforts of the free world to help Ukraine
resist. Romania has been a transit country for exports of cereals and other
Ukrainian agri-food products to world markets, helping Kyiv keep its war-shaken
economy afloat. The humanitarian tragedy in the neighbouring country would have
been worse without the help of the Romanian people. More than 4.5 million Ukrainian
citizens have fled the war in their country through Romania. Most of them
continued their journey to countries in western Europe, but about 100,000,
mostly women and children, have stayed here.

This month, the number of Ukrainian citizens finding employment
in Romania since the start of the war reached a new high, said the labour
ministry in Bucharest, Marius Budăi. He said
6,810 employment contracts were signed with Ukrainian citizens, the highest
level since 24th February 2022. Most Ukrainian citizens employed in
Romania, 1,452, are working in the processing industry, and 1,181 in
constructions, while 737 are working in trade. The majority, 2,770, work in
Bucharest and 418 in Timiş county, in the west.

Together with our European, transatlantic
and global partners, the United States and Romania have acted and will continue
to act in support of Ukraine and all vulnerable partners in the Black Sea
region, president Klaus Iohannis reiterated on Wednesday evening at a
reception hosted by the US embassy in Bucharest to celebrate national day. The
American ambassador to Romania Kathleen
Kavalec said Romania and the US wish to build democratic, more inclusive and
more prosperous societies and these common values are the reason why they stay
united in the face of what she called Russia’s unprovoked and terrible attack
on Ukraine. Almost simultaneously with the speeches made in Bucharest, US
president Joe Biden said in Washington that his Russian counterpart Vladimir
Putin is a pariah around the world’. Asked by the White House journalists if
Putin’s regime is weakened after the failed rebellion of the Wagner mercenary
group, Biden said it was hard to tell, but that Putin was clearly losing the
war in Ukraine. (CM)