EU. Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu is attending a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. Talks are looking, among others, at the security situation in the Black Sea region following the Russian aggression against Ukraine and ways to provide immediate and substantial assistance to the Republic of Moldova. The Romanian minister is expected to reiterate the need for the European Union to reaffirm the European prospects of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia. At Romania’s proposal, EU officials will also have talks, on the sidelines of the Council, with Moldova’s foreign minister Nicu Popescu to discuss additional assistance for Moldova, which is struggling with a large influx of Ukrainian refugees, and ways to enhance its resilience. EU defence ministers are also meeting in Brussels, with their agenda including a meeting with EU foreign ministers to discuss and adopt the Strategic Compass.
Ukraine. Ukraine rejected an ultimatum from Russia to give up the Black Sea port of Mariupol, which has been under siege from the Russian troops and the target of constant shelling. The capital Kyiv has also come under renewed shelling, while the southern port of Odessa has seen increased activity from Russian drones surveying the city and the surrounding area. Peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations are due to resume today, with Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu saying Ukraine and Russia are nearing agreement on „critical” issues.
Refugees. More than half a million Ukrainian refugees have crossed the border into Romania since the start of the Russian invasion on 24th February. 80,000 of them have stayed and 4,000 have applied for asylum. Siret, in the north-east, is one of the main border crossing points between Ukraine and Romania. Nearby, in Suceava, the European Union set up a logistics centre for the provision of medicine and other type of humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Summits. NATO, the European Union and the G7 are meeting this week to agree on the West’s response to the most serious humanitarian and security crisis in Europe since WWII. US president Joe Biden is travelling to Europe to attend the three summits on Wednesday and Thursday and visit Poland on Friday.
