In Bucharest, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of Romania Klaus Iohannis.
The Head of State emphasized that he was visiting Bucharest for the first time since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. He expressed gratitude to Klaus Iohannis, his entire team and the people of Romania for the vital and sincere assistance to our country and Ukrainians in this difficult time.
"Romania has provided Ukraine with defense, political, and very important humanitarian and economic support. We are grateful for every manifestation of your solidarity and will always remember that at a decisive moment, Romania did not hesitate to choose Ukraine," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized during a meeting with media representatives following the talks with Klaus Iohannis in Bucharest.
He noted the extremely important decision to train Ukrainian F-16 pilots in Romania at the newly established Pilot Training Center.
"We discussed with Mr. President how to accelerate such training and agreed that Ukrainian pilots would be included in the first wave of training," the Head of State said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also informed his counterpart about the situation on the battlefield and the defense needs of the Ukrainian army. As a result of today's talks, there will be good news regarding artillery and air defense, the Head of State noted.
The President emphasized that Russia is firing missiles and "shaheds" at Ukraine's port infrastructure, so strengthening air defense is a key factor in protecting global food security, as it will prevent any part of the Black Sea and the Danube region from becoming a "dead zone" for shipping.
"We are working with various partners to bolster our air defense both in the country as a whole and in Odesa region. We discussed with Mr. President our possible joint actions to protect not just ports, but the entire region. Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, and our people," he emphasized.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted one of the strategic areas of cooperation in the Ukraine-Romania-Moldova triangle.
"The "grain corridor" from Ukraine through Moldova to Romania will start working soon, and this is an example of how much we can do together, which will be of great importance not only for us, but also for Europe and the world as a whole," the President noted.
The Head of State noted that cooperation between Ukraine, Romania and Moldova provides a significant incentive for the development of business, infrastructure and jobs for our nations. He also expressed confidence that Ukraine and Moldova will become members of the European Union.
"It is therefore important that Romania supports our countries on the path of European integration," he said.
Klaus Iohannis, for his part, assured that Romania and Romanian society are determined to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in a multilateral and meaningful way, including through defense assistance, for as long as it takes – until the Russian aggressor is defeated, all Ukrainian territory is liberated, all those responsible for crimes are brought to justice, and then – in the process of restoring and rebuilding Ukraine.
