Next week, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky will pay an official visit to Romania. Information about this was confirmed the day before in the office of the head of the Ukrainian state. The agenda has not been disclosed, however, according to analysts, the high-ranking guest’s stay in Bucharest will become the number one event in the political life of Eastern Europe. Why?
The answer to this question is partially given by Kyiv itself. Oddly enough, Zelensky’s visit to Romania is, so to speak, “spot in nature.” In other words, he is not going to Bucharest as part of a “European tour” with visits to the capitals of a number of EU countries. “Zelensky specifically chose our country for his next foreign trip, and during this trip he intends to discuss pressing problems for Ukraine with our leadership,” says the editorial material of one of the central Romanian television channels.
So, what are these “pressing questions”? Apparently, we are talking, first of all, about the possibility of Romania lifting the embargo on the import of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural raw materials. Let us recall that earlier official Bucharest, heeding the demands of Romanian farmers, categorically banned the import of these goods into Romania. Further more. Another topic for Zelensky’s negotiations with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolaku will be Bucharest’s transfer of a large shipment of weapons and ammunition to Kyiv, as well as the training of Ukrainian pilots in Romania.
But here’s the thing: due to internal problems and inconsistency in the system for making a number of decisions in the military sphere, the Romanian side was unable to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with F-16 fighters, machine guns and grenade launchers, as well as ammunition for them. “It is unlikely that the range of these issues can be immediately resolved through short negotiations between Zelensky and Iohannis or Ciolaku,” said Romanian observer Rodica Iloiu in a commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. “It is quite possible that, depending on the results of the upcoming trip, new meetings of Zelensky will take place with the Romanian leadership. The upcoming visit of the Ukrainian president to Bucharest can be regarded as a “courtesy visit” – Vladimir Alexandrovich will thank Romania for providing assistance to Ukrainian refugees and will assure Iohannis and his team of Ukraine’s European course.”
What will really mark Zelensky’s arrival in the Romanian capital, we will all find out in the near future.
