Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he had arrived in Bucharest for talks with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on security cooperation in the Black Sea region, according to Reuters.
Kyiv is fighting a full-scale Russian invasion that has involved frequent air strikes on Ukrainian grain and port infrastructure, including along the Romanian border.
“We will discuss further security cooperation, developing aviation and other coalitions, strengthening Ukraine‘s air defense, the Black Sea security architecture, and our relations with partners,” he said on the social media platform X.
“Romania is a friend who came to our help on our darkest day and whose support gets stronger with time. I am certain this visit will be beneficial for both of our nations,” added Zelenskyy.
The trip is Zelenskiy’s first to the NATO and European Union member country since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanta has been Kyiv’s main alternative export route for grain since Russia quit a deal allowing safe Ukrainian shipments via the Black Sea in mid-July.
Romania has detected several drone fragments falling on its territory as Russia attacks Ukrainian infrastructure across the Danube River.
Defence officials in Bucharest told Reuters last month that the Romanian military was moving air defences closer to Danube villages and was adding more observation posts and patrols to the area.