September 8, 2022 UPDATE

TALKS - Romania's president, Klaus Iohannis, attended online talks hosted by US president, Joe Biden, jointly with leaders of EU and NATO countries. According to a White House official, the meeting focused on Ukraine, in the context where US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, paid a surprise visit to Kyiv on Thursday, where he discussed a new financial aid installment worth 2.7 million USD, to be allotted to Ukraine and its neighbors, including Romania, to help these countries cope with the Russian aggression.

WAR IN UKRAINE - Ukrainian forces have announced they have recaptured over 700 square kilometers of territory in the south and in the Kharkiv Oblast, after having wedged up 50km into enemy defenses and liberated over 20 settlements. Previously, Kyiv refused to provide any details about the counteroffensive lest it should compromise the operation.

MEASURES -The  government in Bucharest on Thursday tackled a series of measures to overcome the energy crisis announced by the European Commission. According to Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, all the measures taken by his cabinet to cap prices for electricity and gas have been tailored to meet the recommendations made by European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and are aimed at protecting household consummers and the Romanian economy and at curbing consumption. The European Commission wants to reduce the price paid for Russian gas as part of a plan to diminish energy costs. According to the head of the EU Commission, the money Putin uses to fund his war campaign in Ukraine must be limited. The Commission wants to also curb demand by reducing energy consumption at peak hours. In Moscow, president Putin says that Russia will completely stop energy deliveries if the EU caps the Russian exports, adding that Europeans will freeze in winter. The European Energy Ministers are expected to discuss the Commission's proposals on Friday.

BLUE AIR - Blue Air is a private airline that will have to pay compensations to clients whose flights it cancelled and cover the costs of the flights operated by the Romanian state-owned company TAROM, Romania's Transport Minister, Sorin Grindeanu, said on Thursday. The Romanian low-cost airline had announced the suspension of its flights until September 12th after its bank accounts were frozen by the state amid concerns over unpaid debt. Meanwhile, the account freeze was lifted and Romanian passengers stranded in airports across Europe and beyond are being repatriated by means of aircraft operated by the flag carrier Tarom.

EXPULSION - The Russian Federation's decision to declare "persona non grata" a member of the Romanian Embassy in Moscow is a response "in kind" to Romania's expulsion of a Russian Embassy employee in August, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. The MFA recalls that its decision rested on the incompatibility of the said employee with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Affairs of 1961. We recall that the Russian MFA has declared 'persona non grata' a member of the Romanian Embassy in Moscow, the RIA agency announced on Thursday. Reuters recalls that Romania, like other EU members, has been designated an 'unfriendly country' by Moscow in response to sanctions imposed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this year, Russia and EU countries expelled hundreds of each other's diplomats in the wake of the Russian invasion on February 24th. 

FEAST DAY - Christians in Romania on Thursday celebrated the Birth of Saint Mary, Mother of God. According to the Christian belief, the Virgin Mary was born out of a miracle. Her parents Joachim and Anne were very old and could not concieve. In response to their prayers, God made a miracle and Anne got pregnant at an old age. They named their daughter Mary and she would give birth to our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Christians believe the Holy Virgin reached the highest degree in holiness and unlike the other saints, she has four feast days throught the year: the Nativity, the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, the Annuciation and the Ascension. (VP)