Kyiv Post. Romania’s support for Ukraine deserves greater recognition

Many countries are providing Ukraine with considerable aid, but much of it remains out of the public domain or dissolves in a multitude of news reports, the Kyiv Post reported.

Transit country

One of the countries whose weighty aid is worth our attention is Romania, it said in an op-ed. It has been supporting and helping Ukrainians in every way possible since the first days of the war. It is one of the leading countries in transporting U.S. lend-lease cargoes to Ukraine and the third largest transit country for the delivery of weapons and equipment.

Since the outset of the war, President Klaus Iohannis has assured Kyiv of Romania’s full support for Ukraine’s integration with the EU. During his recent meeting in Kyiv with Volodymyr Zelensky, Iohannis assured him that Romania wants Ukraine to become an EU candidate in the shortest possible time.

In order to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons from Romanian reserves, the defense ministry initiated amendments to the government resolution that would enable arms to be supplied not only to NATO countries but also to the Alliance’s allies and partners.

MiG-21

Romania possesses several dozen MiG-21 and Lancer fighter jets, plus 15 MiG-29 fighters which it does not use but could hand over to Ukraine. Romanian government officials also actively promote efforts for delivering US-made М142 HIMARS to Ukraine. In addition to ammunition, bulletproof vests, and helmets, Romania supplies Ukraine with fuel, medical equipment, and disinfectants. Truckloads of humanitarian aid also arrive in Ukraine on a regular basis.

Since the first days of Russia’s invasion, the Romanian government and the Romanian community in Bukovina, southwestern Ukraine, have been sending weapons, foodstuffs, and other essentials to the Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the front lines.

Volunteers

In addition, volunteers have established an aid point at the Porubne border crossing where Ukrainian refugees are provided with everything they need – from food and clothing to transport and accommodation. Romania has accepted more than 800,000 Ukrainian refugees who are free to enter the country through any official border crossing points.

Via the non-governmental organization ‘Code for Romania’, created in partnership with the Romanian Interior Ministry’s Emergency Situations Dept., the International Organization for Migration, and the National Council on Refugee Affairs, civilians fleeing the war in Ukraine and seeking refuge in Romania can find all the necessary information they require. Ukrainians can also get secondary, high, and higher education in Romania, with teaching in the Ukrainian language available at 45 schools and five universities.

Job opportunities

The Romanian government has also offered Ukrainians free public transport and medical services, launched special child support programs, and expanded job opportunities for Ukrainians. Now, Ukrainians are not required to obtain a separate employment permit if they are to stay in the country for less than nine months.

Ukrainian refugees get substantial help from the local Association of Ukrainians, which accommodates them on its own premises as well as in villages and towns with ethnic Ukrainian communities, and also from numerous NGOs, churches, owners of hotels, and ordinary Romanians across the country.

Volunteers actively organize a variety of fundraising and charity events. During a concert at the National Arena in Bucharest, more than €750,000 was raised for aiding Ukrainians.

In order to facilitate Ukrainian refugees’ transit via Romania, flights to Moldova have now resumed. The government has also stated its readiness to treat wounded Ukrainian soldiers at Romanian hospitals.

Hub

The EU designated Romania as a hub for civilian aid to Ukraine.This aid, once collected in the EU, gets to Ukraine through border crossing points, and the charity organization Help Ukraine has recently opened a humanitarian center in the town of Khust, Transcarpathian region, for aiding Ukraine’s southern regions. Another aid center located in Suceava, Romania, regularly receives trucks with humanitarian aid as along with medical and fire vehicles from Romania and other EU countries.

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