B9 – The leaders of Bucharest 9 countries met in Bratislava and issued a joint statement expressing their support for Ukraine’s NATO accession, „once circumstances allow it”. „Ukraine is an integral part of the Euro-Atlantic community and its security is intertwined with that of the Allies. We strongly support Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and reiterate the Bucharest 2008 decision that Ukraine will become a member of NATO”, the document signed by the leaders of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary reads. The shared vision of B9 states is key to ensuring security on NATO’s eastern flank, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said. The Romanian official also called for consolidating support for NATO’s vulnerable partners, in particular the Republic of Moldova, with a view to consolidating this country’s defense capabilities. Klaus Iohannis presided the meeting alongside the presidents of Slovakia and Poland, Zuzana Čaputová and Andrzej Duda, respectively. Also attending the meeting in Bratislava was NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
EXPLOSION – „The destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam is another war crime Russia has committed against innocent civilians”, president Klaus Iohannis tweeted shortly after the explosion. „Russia and Russian aggressors must be held accountable. Our thoughts go out to all those affected by this terrible attack”, the Romanian president added. Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed outrage at the attack, which, he argues, „proves once again the brutality of Russia’s war”. The Ukrainian army accused Russia of blowing up the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, located some 150 km from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Still, the Russian crew in charge of the NPP stated the partial destruction of the dam, which served in cooling the station, poses no threat to the installation for the time being. We recall the dam had been occupied by the Russians at the start of their invasion of Ukraine. Built on the Dnieper in 1956, the dam is one of the largest of its kind in Ukraine.
EXERCISE – 5,000 Romanian and 2,700 American military, as well as 2,300 servicemen and officers from other allied and partner nations are taking part in the biggest NATO exercise in Romania, in the Black Sea region, entitled Saber Guardian 23. The exercise is meant to ensure better collaboration between the troops in the event of rapid intervention missions. Exercises include wet gap crossings of the Danube river, parachute jumps and drills specific to infantry and artillery attacks. „This exercise is more important than ever. The changes the Russian aggression in Ukraine has brought to the security framework confirm the fact that the Black Sea is now critical to Europe’s security. The strategic importance of the Black Sea has increased exponentially”, Romania’s Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr says. The Saber Guardian exercise is part of the Defender Europe 23, a U.S. European Command directed multinational exercise.
