Radio România Internațional

Tag: security summit in London

  • European support for Ukraine

    European support for Ukraine

    The brutal failure of American-Ukrainian talks on Friday in Washington leaves little room for illusions about the United States assuming a major role in the Ukrainian peace process. Those who must now assume such a role are Europeans themselves. Europe is going through a unique moment for its security, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday in London, hosting an informal summit attended by about fifteen allies of Ukraine, in the presence of president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. EU leaders pledged to do more for Europe’s security and arm themselves, but they also insisted on the need to maintain strong support from the United States. The meeting highlighted the difference in approach between US president Donald Trump, who wants a quick peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, and European leaders, who seem willing to continue military support for Kyiv until it achieves a peace it deems convenient, AFP notes.

     

    Europe, Starmer argues, must do the heavy lifting, but to defend peace on our continent and to succeed, this effort must be strongly supported by the United States. Several European countries will increase their defense spending, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in turn argued that the EU must urgently rearm and prepare for the worst. The Commission president announced that she would present a comprehensive plan for EU rearmament at the extraordinary European summit on March 6, a plan that will also address the need for EU countries to obtain fiscal leeway to increase military spending. Summit participants discussed the need for comprehensive security guarantees for Ukraine in the future. Such guarantees, von der Leyen argues, must range from economic survival to military resilience.

     

    Shortly before the London summit, the British Prime Minister announced that he was working with French President Emmanuel Macron on a plan to end the fighting in Ukraine, a plan that would then be presented to the United States. The plan also involves a coalition of volunteers from European countries to provide Ukraine with security guarantees in the event of a peace agreement with Russia, but also benefit from US support. The interim president of Romania, Ilie Bolojan, also attended the London summit. The Romanian official confirmed that participants decided to maintain financial and military support for Kyiv until a ceasefire is agreed. European states must take on a greater burden for peace in Europe, and this implies increasing defense budgets. EU leaders agreed that security guarantees to Ukraine cannot be ensured without support from the US, president Bolojan further said. These security guarantees are not only for Ukraine, but are practically for the entire eastern flank, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, the Romanian official pointed out. (VP)

  • March 2, 2025 UPDATE 3

    March 2, 2025 UPDATE 3

    SUMMIT – 15 European leaders and the Prime Minister of Canada are discussing in London support for Ukraine after the failure of the Trump-Zelenskyy talks in Washington, but also about creating a security identity for Europe, in the context of a possible military withdrawal of the United States. This is a unique moment for European security, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at the start of the discussions. Among the leaders attending the summit are the president of France, the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Ministers of Italy and Poland, as well as Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Representing Romania is interim president Ilie Bolojan. The agenda of the London meeting also includes security guarantees that the Europeans want to provide to Ukraine against Russia. The urgent increase in support for Ukraine and European defense are also high on the agenda of the special European summit to be organized on March 6. The EU Commission will table a proposal to deliver swift military aid to Ukraine, worth €20 billion. In addition, the Commission and Member States will consult on new instruments that should enable EU countries to increase defense spending this year, without falling into the infringement procedure for exceeding the budget deficit target. Last but not least, EU leaders will discuss the peace negotiations started by Trump and Putin without consulting or inviting either Ukraine or Europe to the table. The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, said that if Ukraine is not satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations, the EU will continue to provide military aid to Kyiv in order to achieve a just peace.

     

    TRANSPORT – Air passenger transport in Romania went up 6% last year and reached 26 million passengers, the National Statistics Institute reports. The largest traffic flows were recorded at the “Henri Coandă” airport in Bucharest, “Avram Iancu” airport in Cluj Napoca (northwest) and at the International Airport in Iași (northeast). The largest shares in domestic air transport were recorded by the Henri Coandă-Bucharest airport, with 49.8% of the total number of passengers boarded, “Avram Iancu” airport in Cluj-Napoca with 17.6%, and the “Traian Vuia” airport in Timișoara (west) with 14.4%. Most airline passengers arrived from Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and France.

     

    ELECTION – Parties, political and election alliances, organizations representing national minorities and independent candidates have two weeks left to submit their candidacies to the Central Election Bureau for the presidential election slated for May. According to the election calendar set by the government and currently debated by Parliament, the election campaign will start on April 4 and last for a month. At home, the election will be held on May 4, while the vote abroad will start on May 2 and end on May 4. The second round is slated for May 18. This week Parliament dismissed Toni Greblă from the helm of the Permanent Election Authority and appointed an interim replacement. The Audiovisual Council also adopted a set of regulations that will apply to the election campaign.

     

    GAZA – Israel announced that it is suspending the entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip, criticizing the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas for refusing an American proposal to extend the ceasefire agreement. “Israel will not accept a ceasefire without the release of our hostages. If Hamas persists in its refusal, more consequences will follow”, a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office reads. Hamas responded, describing Netanyahu’s decision to stop humanitarian aid as “cheap blackmail”, a “war crime” and “a blow” to the ceasefire agreement, Reuters reports. In a statement, Hamas urged the brokers of the ceasefire agreement to force Israel to end punitive measures against the Gaza Strip. The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement ended on Saturday without Hamas and Israel reaching an agreement to implement the second phase, which was supposed to take effect on Sunday and included the release of the remaining hostages in the Strip and a definitive end to the war.

     

    RUGBY – Romania’s rugby team lost 43-5 away from home to Georgia in the semi-finals of Rugby Europe Championship. Georgia thus claimed the Antim Ivireanu Cup, a trophy in play for every match pitting the two sides. In the other semi-final on Saturday, Portugal lost to Spain 42-31 in Lisbon. Georgia and Portugal will compete for the top spot while Romania will take on Spain for the third place final. Both matches are slated for March 14-16. (VP)

  • March 2, 2025

    March 2, 2025

    SUMMIT – Leaders of Ukraine’s allies, including Romania’s interim president, Ilie Boljan, are meeting in London this afternoon for a crucial summit. They will discuss new security guarantees in the face of a US letdown following Friday’s heated meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. The Ukrainian president was warmly welcomed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday, and dozens of people gathered to cheer for him outside Downing Street. The British Prime Minister assured the Ukrainian president of the UK’s “absolute determination” to support Ukraine in the face of Russian invasion, and the two governments signed a £2.26 billion loan agreement, which the Ukrainian president said would be used for domestic arms production and would be repaid from Russia’s frozen assets in the West. Driven out of the White House after President Donald Trump accused him of not being grateful enough and refusing to make peace with Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy received the support of leaders of European countries, with the exception of Hungary and Slovakia. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said that the free world needs a new leader and that Europeans must accept this challenge. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said, however, that the Ukrainian president must find a way to reconcile with Donald Trump, and French President Emmanuel Macron said that after their falling out, the two leaders must find common ground through respect and gratitude.

     

    PROTEST – Bucharest on Saturday hosted a large protest against the government and in support of the former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, placed on pre-trial arrest this week on a number of charges. Organized by the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), the protest gathered tens of thousands of participants in Victory Square. Protesters called for the resignation of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and the organization of the second round of the presidential election, annulled last year by the Constitutional Court. Attending the protest was Călin Georgescu himself, who is charged of instigation to actions against the constitutional order. Georgescu said only the Romanian people can judge him, and that he will not yet announce his candidacy for May’s presidential election. Attending the rally were also politicians from Bulgaria, Poland, Italy and Spain, who held speeches in support of Georgescu.

     

    ELECTION – Parties, political and election alliances, organizations representing national minorities and independent candidates have two weeks left to submit their candidacies to the Central Election Bureau for the presidential election slated for May. According to the election calendar set by the government and currently debated by Parliament, the election campaign will start on April 4 and last for a month. At home, the election will be held on May 4, while the vote abroad will start on May 2 and end on May 4. The second round is slated for May 18. This week Parliament dismissed Toni Greblă from the helm of the Permanent Election Authority and appointed an interim replacement. The Audiovisual Council also adopted a set of regulations that will apply to the election campaign.

     

    GAZA – Israel announced that it is suspending the entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip, criticizing the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas for refusing an American proposal to extend the ceasefire agreement. “Israel will not accept a ceasefire without the release of our hostages. If Hamas persists in its refusal, more consequences will follow”, a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office reads. Hamas responded, describing Netanyahu’s decision to stop humanitarian aid as “cheap blackmail”, a “war crime” and “a blow” to the ceasefire agreement, Reuters reports. In a statement, Hamas urged the brokers of the ceasefire agreement to force Israel to end punitive measures against the Gaza Strip. The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement ended on Saturday without Hamas and Israel reaching an agreement to implement the second phase, which was supposed to take effect on Sunday and included the release of the remaining hostages in the Strip and a definitive end to the war. (VP)