Stocks — Romania has sufficient stocks of non-perishable food stuffs and products, there are enough goods in warehouses and stores, and the authorities are in constant contact with retailers – said Saturday the Government spokesman, Dan Cărbunaru. His statement comes after many Romanians stormed the shops to buy oil, following rumors that this product will disappear from the shelves. The Agriculture Minister, Adrian Chesnoiu, has confirmed that Romania has sufficient stocks of oil until the new sunflower harvest, therefore no imbalances will occur. He recommended the population not to fall victim to hysteria, as happened a few days ago, when it was announced that the price of fuel would explode, which led to endless queues at gas stations. And that, after last weekend was dominated by the chase for foreign currency, as the rumor went on the social networks that the collapse of the national currency was certain. The Romanian authorities draw attention, once again, that such false information is only intended to cause panic.
Humanitarian aid – Romania continues to help the Ukrainian refugees. The emergency number 112 and the special hot line for children, 119, are also available for calls in Ukrainian. Moreover, additional measures have been taken to prevent human trafficking at cross-border points. On Friday, an online platform was created which centralizes aid offers made to support the civilians taking refuge in Romania. The new platform was developed in record time with the support of over 600 volunteers. On the other hand, the Romanian government adopted on Saturday a draft decision on granting free transport and other facilities to the refugees from Ukraine. The Border Police informs that since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, over 380 thousand Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania, of whom over 304 thousand have left the country.
Talks — The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, will discuss, on Sunday, in Bucharest, with his Israeli counterpart, Yair Lapid, about how to manage the effects of the Russian aggression on Ukraine. According to a communiqué of the Romanian Foreign Ministry – MAE, the visit of the Israeli official takes place at the invitation of the Romanian FM, against the background of the worsening of the crisis caused by Moscow, but also of the very good Romanian-Israeli cooperation. Talks focus on the ways to evacuate Israeli citizens from Ukraine through Romania. Israel is one of Romanias main partners from the Middle East area, the bilateral relations of a strategic nature, constantly developing in recent years — MAE shows. Bogdan Aurescu and Yair Lapid will also discuss the development of bilateral relations, with focus on the political, economic and security fields. At the same time, they will assess the stage of preparations for the third Romania-Israel Joint Government Meeting scheduled to take place this year.
Ukraine — The French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz asked the Russian leader Vladimir Putin, in a telephone conversation, on Saturday, to immediately cease fire in Ukraine and begin seeking a diplomatic solution to the conflict. In turn, Vladimir Putin accused the Ukrainian forces of “blatant violations” of the humanitarian law, urging France and Germany to put pressure on Kyiv to end that practice. Also on Saturday, Moscow announced that the Russian military could strike the Western arms supplies to Ukraine. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said any talks with Russia would have to start with a ceasefire and accused the West of insufficient involvement in the peace talks. In a new video, Zelensky called on the mothers of Russian soldiers to prevent their sons from being sent to war in Ukraine. Fighting continues on the ground in several cities, including the capital Kyiv, where the Russian forces continue their bombing. Ukraine accuses Russia of preparing a major assault on Kyiv, which it intends to encircle. Ukraine has announced it has lost 1,300 troops since the start of the war, and that the Russian invaders have suffered heavy losses. According to a new UN death toll, 579 civilians, including 42 children and young people, have been killed since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Pandemic — 2,743 new cases of COVID-19 were registered in 24 hours in Romania – the health ministry informed on Saturday. 59 related deaths were also reported, of which 12 from the previous reporting period. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is 3,600, with 595 being in intensive care. (LS)
