EU Council chief vows support, ammunition for Ukraine
European Council President Charles Michel has pledged to continue supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression “for as long as necessary,” adding that EU leaders will “massively ramp up” ammunition production to send to the war-torn country
washingtonpost.comNATO's eastern nations want better protection from alliance
Friday's summit in Bucharest provided a platform for NATO’s Eastern members to discuss regional security issues and forge a united voice within the 30-member security alliance. Three NATO members — Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey — border the Black Sea, which has turned into a key battleground in the war in Ukraine. “We want the enhanced forward presence that we have today on NATO’s eastern flank to be extended," he said. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who was set to join the leaders in Bucharest, joined the forum via video after contracting shingles. “The accession of these states will contribute to strengthening the security of the Alliance as a whole,” he said.
wftv.comHarris: US dedication to collective NATO defense 'ironclad'
US Russia Ukraine War Harris Romanian President Klaus Iohannis shakes hands with US Vice President Kamala Harris as she arrives for a meeting at Cotroceni Palace in Otopeni, Romania, Friday, March 11, 2022. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP) (Saul Loeb)BUCHAREST, Romania — (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday that Washington's dedication to the collective defense of NATO is "ironclad" as she visited allied Romania, which has experienced a flood of refugees from neighboring Ukraine amid Russia's invasion there. Harris also thanked Romania, a Balkan country of 19 million residents, for welcoming tens of thousands of displaced people from Ukraine as of earlier this week. He also said that NATO needs to “fundamentally rethink” its approach to its eastern flank, and he spoke with Harris about enhancing the alliance's presence there. “NATO will act without hesitation to defend each and every allied state, including, obviously, Romania," Iohannis said.
wftv.comHarris meets Romanian president over Ukraine refugee crisis
US Russia Ukraine War Harris Romanian President Klaus Iohannis shakes hands with US Vice President Kamala Harris as she arrives for a meeting at Cotroceni Palace in Otopeni, Romania, Friday, March 11, 2022. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP) (Saul Loeb)BUCHAREST, Romania — (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis met on Friday amid growing concerns about the influx of displaced people fleeing Ukraine for Romania and elsewhere in eastern Europe because of Russia's invasion. The Ukrainian refugee crisis is a problem that Biden administration officials and European leaders warn will likely get more complicated in the days and weeks ahead. Harris' talks in Bucharest with Iohannis came after she spent Thursday in Poland, which has already welcomed some 1.5 million Ukrainians since the invasion began last month. Harris said most refugees who have fled Ukraine prefer to remain in Europe.
wftv.comUkraine-Russia crisis: What to know about the fears of war
The heightened U.S. rhetoric followed new intelligence that showed another increase in Russian troops near the Ukrainian border. It was yet another indication that hardware was being beefed up around the strategic Black Sea where Russia, Ukraine and three NATO allies have bases. The ships join several similar vessels that are part of Russia's Black Sea fleet, augmenting its amphibious landing capability. Later Friday, Biden spoke to a number of European leaders to underscore the concerns raised by U.S. intelligence about the potential imminence of a Russian invasion. Sullivan said Western leaders were completely united and would respond harshly to a Russian invasion with devastating economic and trade sanctions.
wftv.comUkraine-Russia crisis: What to know about the fears of war
(AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) (Andreea Alexandru)The chill of a Cold War hung over Eastern Europe again Friday, with Russian maneuvers and drills close to Ukraine, and NATO’s chief boosting troop morale on the Black Sea. Diplomats and government leaders, meanwhile, struggled ever more to jumpstart moribund talks to stave off full-out war. WATCH LIVE: Crews battle large wildfire near I-95 in Brevard CountyIt was yet another indication that hardware was being beefed up around the strategic Black Sea where Russia, Ukraine and three NATO allies have bases. “From here in the Black Sea region, all the way to the Baltic, allies are stepping up to reinforce NATO’s presence at this critical time,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said from Constanta. The ships join several similar vessels that are part of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, augmenting its amphibious landing capability.
wftv.comUkraine-Russia crisis: What to know about the fears of war
Diplomats and government leaders, meanwhile, struggled ever more to jumpstart moribund talks to stave off full-out war. It was yet another indication that hardware was being beefed up around the strategic Black Sea where Russia, Ukraine and three NATO allies have bases. In Black Sea waters, warships of Russia's Baltic and Northern fleets arrived in Sevastopol bay on the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia already annexed in 2014. The ships join several similar vessels that are part of Russia's Black Sea fleet, augmenting its amphibious landing capability. Off Ukraine's northern border, Russia and its ally Belarus are starting 10 days of war games, involving massive drills with live ammunition.
wftv.comIn Romania, NATO chief visits air base hosting US troops
Romania NATO Chief NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg listens Romania's President Klaus Iohannis during a joint press conference at the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase, near the Black Sea port city of Constanta, eastern Romania, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. NATO troops have also been deployed to Poland. Stoltenberg and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis held official talks Friday and will meet with troops deployed at the base. Stoltenberg’s official visit to Romania comes ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels next week. NATO will not send troops into Ukraine should Russia invade.
wftv.comRomania pushes to add climate change education in schools
BUCHAREST, Romania — (AP) — Romania’s president wants to add sections on climate change and environmental issues to the national school curriculum to enable students to learn more about the challenges the world faces from climate change. The report suggests increasing the amount of climate change and environmental education that students receive, creating a national network of 10,000 environmental ’mini inspectors,’ supporting nature-based activities, and creating digital learning materials on climate change. “Education is one of the pillars of improving the response to climate change, as education leads to changes in human behavior, in the sense of a greater responsibility to protect nature and the future of society as a whole,” Iohannis said Tuesday. He said Romanian politicians now “lack ambition” in efforts to tackle climate change. ___Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/ClimateCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.
wftv.comRomanian president swears in new coalition, says crisis over
BUCHAREST, Romania — (AP) — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday swore in a new coalition government led by a Liberal former army general and declared an end to a months-long political crisis that had gripped the Eastern European nation. Newly-appointed Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, a former defense minister, will lead the new three-party coalition which is comprised of the Liberals, the Social Democrats, and Romania’s small ethnic Hungarian party UDMR. At the swearing in ceremony, Iohannis said that the “political crisis is over” but other problems still face the country. The energy crisis is not over, it is only taking on new forms,” Iohannis said. Social Democrat Party leader Marcel Ciolacu acknowledged on Thursday rising energy prices and noted that Romania has been hard-hit by the pandemic.
wftv.comRomania revives restrictions as hospitals struggle, jabs lag
Doctor Petruta Filip is working 100-hour weeks at a hospital in Romania’s capital Bucharest which, like hospitals throughout the country, is struggling under an onslaught of coronavirus patients requiring treatment amid worryingly low vaccination rates.
Romanian president nominates centrist party leader for PM
BUCHAREST, Romania — (AP) — Romania's president on Monday nominated centrist party leader Dacian Ciolos to be prime minister after a protracted political crisis culminated last week in the Liberal-led coalition government being ousted in a no-confidence vote. After a day of deliberations Monday with Romania’s political parties, President Klaus Iohannis nominated USR leader Ciolos to try to form a government. Ciolos previously served as prime minister between 2015 and 2017 in a caretaker cabinet. “We are ready to take responsibility for the government and start negotiations with the other parties," Ciolos said in a statement after his nomination. Romania's political crisis started in early September when outgoing Prime Minister Florin City sacked the USR-Plus justice minister for not signing off on a 10 billion euro ($11.5 billion) regional infrastructure development program.
wftv.comRomanian hospital blaze kills at least 7 COVID-19 patients
Authorities say a fire at a hospital in Romania’s port city of Constanta has killed nine COVID-19 patients in the ICU. “We’re trying to change something after 30 years in which almost nothing was done in Romania’s health care system,” Citu added. During the pandemic, fires in COVID-19 hospitals or wards have cost scores of lives in other countries — including another two in Romania. Last November, 10 people died after a blaze tore through an intensive care unit for COVID-19 patients in the northern Romanian town of Piatra Neamt. In April, at least 82 people died in a Baghdad hospital blaze — many of them COVID-19 patients — after an oxygen tank exploded.
wftv.comRomanian coalition partner quits government amid crisis
BUCHAREST, Romania — (AP) — Romania’s governing center-right coalition faces a no-confidence vote in parliament after junior partner USR-Plus resigned from the government on Tuesday. “We registered and resigned, together with the USR PLUS ministers, at the prime minister’s office. We are moving forward.”All six ministers from the junior coalition party have quit. The move will lead to a parliamentary vote of no-confidence against Citu, who is backed by President Klaus Iohannis. “We cannot move forward with a prime minister who governs without a minimum respect for coalition agreements,” Barna said.
wftv.comMoldova marks 30 years of independence from Soviet rule
Moldova National Day Honor guards carry wreaths during an event held to celebrate Moldova's national day, three decades after the country declared independence from the Soviet Union, in Chisinau, Moldova, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. Moldova, Europe’s poorest country, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, proclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union on August 27, 1991. The anniversary event was held in the Grand National Assembly Square where President Maia Sandu was joined by Romania’s Klaus Iohannis, Poland’s Andrzej Duda, and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They beat a Russia-friendly electoral bloc of Communists and Socialists, led by two former presidents, which took 27% of the vote. “We have learned that we must bring order to our country,” Sandu, who is Harvard-educated, said Friday.
wftv.comRomanian leader tells Biden more NATO troops needed in east
Romania Poland Duda Polish President Andrzej Duda, right, reviews the honor guard with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis during the welcoming ceremony at the Cotroceni presidential palace in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, May 10, 2021. The appeal by President Klaus Iohannis came during a conference of regional leaders which Biden joined by video. The Polish and Romanian leaders hailed Biden's appearance as a sign of U.S. support for their security. NATO and the U.S. later deployed troops to the region, angering Russia. Monday's meeting came ahead of a full NATO summit on June 14 in Brussels, where the alliance has its headquarters.
wftv.comBiden to join meeting of NATO's eastern members by video
BUCHAREST, Romania — (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden will join a meeting by video link of presidents of countries on NATO's eastern flank being held Monday in the Romanian capital, according to the offices of the Romanian and Polish presidents. The presidents gathering represent the so-called Bucharest Nine, a group of the easternmost members of the Western military alliance. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, the host, said on Twitter that he was glad to be welcoming Biden, and that the meeting was in preparation for a full NATO summit next month. The meeting of the nine comes ahead of a NATO summit taking place June 14 in Brussels, where the alliance has its headquarters. At the June summit, Biden and other leaders plan to discuss tense ties with Russia and China, the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and the future of the 30-nation alliance.
wftv.comBiden to join by video meeting of NATO's eastern members
BUCHAREST, Romania — (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden will join a meeting by video link of presidents of countries on NATO's eastern flank being held Monday in the Romanian capital, according to the offices of the Romanian and Polish presidents. The presidents gathering represent the so-called Bucharest Nine, a group of the easternmost members of the Western military alliance. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, the host, said on Twitter that he was glad be welcoming Biden, and that the meeting was in preparation for a full NATO summit next month. The meeting of the nine comes ahead of a NATO summit taking place June 14 in Brussels, where the alliance has its headquarters. At the June summit, Biden and other leaders plan to discuss tense ties with Russia and China, the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and the future of the 30-nation military alliance.
wftv.comRomanian leader tells Biden more NATO troops needed in east
Romania's president told U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Monday that more NATO troops are needed on the alliance's eastern flank given Russia actions that are perceived as threatening by many in the region. The appeal by President Klaus Iohannis came during a conference of regional leaders which Biden joined by video. The Polish and Romanian leaders hailed Biden's appearance as a sign of U.S. support for their security.
news.yahoo.comRomania: Protesters want reprisals for fatal hospital fire
Protesters waving flags march after a deadly fire at a hospital treating COVID-19 patients in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021. It was the third hospital fire in Romania in as many months. Not a single new hospital was built in Romania in 31 years," AUR co-president George Simion said, referring to the time since communism ended. AdSimion said the party and its supporters “want the resignation of those responsible,” naming Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu and Department of Emergency Situations head Raed Arafat. We need new hospitals.”Before the fire at the Matei Bals hospital, a November fire in a COVID-19 intensive care unit in north Romania killed 10 people and a fire psychiatric hospital in the same region killed one person in December.
Calls for Romania's president to reject gender studies ban
A protester stands outside the presidential palace in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, June 18, 2020, during a rally against a law banning the teaching of gender studies. Dozens of protesters gathered outside Bucharest's Cotroceni Presidential Palace, to express their opposition to a law banning the teaching of gender studies in the country's schools and universities and call on President Klaus Iohannis to reject signing the bill and send it back to parliament. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)BUCHAREST Dozens of protesters gathered Thursday in Romania's capital to express their opposition to a law banning the teaching of gender studies in the countrys schools and universities. Neighboring Hungary passed similar legislation in 2018, removing accreditation and funding for gender studies at the university level. Hungary recently also banned transgender people from changing their gender on official documents.
Romania to open its first Holocaust museum
Nearly three-quarters of a century since the end of World War II, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has backed the creation of the country's first Holocaust museum. (CNN) - Nearly three-quarters of a century since the end of World War II, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has backed the creation of the country's first Holocaust museum. The National Museum of Jewish History and the Holocaust in Romania will highlight Jewish heritage in the country, Iohannis said in a speech Tuesday. Up to 380,000 Jews were killed in Romanian-controlled territories during World War II, according to Yad Vashem -- The World Holocaust Remembrance Center. With the creation of the museum, Iohannis said, Romania is defending the history, heritage and culture of Jewish people in Romania, who contributed to the building of the nation.