February 28, 2022

february 28, 2022 Russian-Ukrainian talks under way in Belarus./ Romanian Parliament endorses declaration condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine.

UKRAINE. The Russian foreign ministry confirmed that Russian-Ukrainian talks began in Belarus on Monday, according to international news agencies. Ukraine's position during the negotiations, as announced by president Volodymyr Zelensky's press office, is to request an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. Russia's delegation at the talks is headed by the presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky, while that was Ukraine is headed by the defence minister Oleksii Reznikov. Also on Monday, president Zelensky called on the European Union to fast-track  membership for Ukraine. "Our goal is to be together with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be on an equal footing. I'm sure it's fair. I'm sure it's possible," Zelensky said in a video message posted on social media. 


REFUGEES The president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Romania for the support given to Ukraine and for its significant contribution to his country's defence capabilities. In a message posted on social media, he thanked the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis for supporting Ukraine's EU accession. The Romanian Parliament endorsed a declaration condemning the Russian Federation's aggression on Ukraine. Meanwhile, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson thanked the Romanian authorities and citizens for their support of the Ukrainian refugees coming into Romania. By showing solidarity, we prove we rely on other values than Putin and that we live by these values, she said at the end of a visit at the Siret refugee camp on Romania's northern border with Ukraine. She will also be received by president Klaus Iohannis and PM Nicolae Ciucă in Bucharest, where she will also have a meeting with the interior minister Lucian Bode. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian nationals have crossed into neighbouring Romania. Their number has been on the rise since Sunday afternoon, when the Ukrainian authorities simplified border checks. Meanwhile, Romanians have mobilised to help the people in Ukraine forced to abandon their homes. Fundraisers are organised across the country, with volunteers making sure the aid reach the border areas. The National Defence Ministry has prepared all its 11 military hospitals to receive troops injured in Ukraine. 


SUPPORT Romanian authorities have announced today they will block sources identified as spreading fake news in the context of the Ukraine crisis. A list of websites has been made public, which have been or will be shut down, including Sputnik News. Yesterday the government of Romania decided to send further aid to Ukraine, consisting in fuel, bullet-proof vests, helmets, ammunition, military equipment as well as food, water and medicines, worth a total of EUR 3 million. A first batch of medicines and medical equipment sent by Romania has already reached Ukraine.


ENERGY The Romanian energy minister Virgil Popescu takes part on Monday in a special meeting of the Energy Council in Brussels, then he is scheduled to leave for Azerbaijan, to discuss ways to diversify the country's natural gas sources, according to a post on his Facebook account. The meeting in Brussels takes place at the initiative of the Romanian official and of his counterparts in Bulgaria and Greece. Virgil Popescu had been invited on Monday to update Parliament on solutions for the growing electricity and natural gas prices, at the request of USR party.


COVID-19 Over the past 24 hours 4,757 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported in Romania, along with 61 related deaths, 4 of them from a previous date. The largest number of cases since the start of the pandemic, 40,018 was reported on February 1. In the capital Bucharest the infection rate is 22 per thousand. Less than 1,000 patients are in intensive care. Public health experts insist that vaccination remains the most efficient way to prevent severe COVID-19 cases and fatalities. (A.M.P.)


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Publicat: 2022-02-28 13:55:00
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