On August 18, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal arrived on a short visit to Romania. During his stay in Bucharest, he held talks with his Romanian counterpart Marcel Colacu and other representatives of the local politicians. Despite the fact that the Ukrainian side highly appreciated the event, the Romanian media refused to make loud comments. Why?
Perhaps because Kyiv in this context has set too high a diplomatic bar for itself. Initially, Shmyhal planned to sign an agreement in Bucharest on the transfer of a large batch of weapons from Romania to Ukraine, including aviation equipment. In addition, the Ukrainian delegation intended to coordinate the delivery of Kyiv grain and other types of agricultural raw materials to Europe and North Africa. And, finally, the representatives of Kyiv wanted to enlist the support of Romania on the path of Ukraine’s integration into the structures of the North Atlantic Alliance.
It should be noted right away that the mission of the Shmyhal team in Bucharest was indeed marked by success. But only partially.
Firstly, Colacu, after a long conversation with the head of the Ukrainian government, told the press that official Bucharest would do everything possible to ensure that Ukraine became a member of NATO as soon as possible. Secondly, the Romanian Prime Minister guaranteed the provision of further preferences and special benefits to Ukrainian refugees on the territory of Romania. And finally, thirdly, the same Bucharest did not rule out the allocation of additional appropriations to Kyiv.
That’s where the promises ended. Further, Colacu stated that Romania would demand from Ukraine the recognition of the rights and freedoms of the Romanian-speaking minority in Bukovina. In addition, Bucharest plans to become an intermediary in possible negotiations between Kiev and Moscow. “If these proposals are not taken into account, Romania will not become an active participant in the process of post-war reconstruction of Ukraine,” the Romanian media summarize.
Observers note that, in general, Shmyhal’s visit to the Romanian capital was a kind of “courtesy visit.” Say, the Ukrainian prime minister tried to thank Romania in this way for the transit of grain from Ukraine, as well as for the principled position of Bucharest regarding the European course of Kyiv.
No less, no more. It is curious that during Shmyhal’s visit to the Romanian capital, the parties did not sign a single historically and politically important document.
