Romania’s president called Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday to reassure him that Ukrainians fleeing war would be looked after in Romania.
Tens of thousands have fled to Romania since the Russian invasion began almost threee weeks ago.
Klaus Iohannis told the Ukrainian leader that Kyiv had “Romania’s full support …both bilaterally and in the European Union.”
He said that an EU-funded humanitarian hub in Suceava, a town near the Ukrainian border, was already beginning to distribute aid to Ukrainian refugees.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on March 3 that the EU would invest at least 500 million euros of EU money in the hub during a visit to Bucharest.
Nearly 400,000 people have entered Romania from Ukraine since the war started, with most heading on to other countries, according to government figures.
The hub which has been open since Wednesday is in an industrial warehouse spread over 10,000 square meters.
Local country chairman Gheorghe Flutur said it will be a deposit for aid arriving from European countries.
Romania shares a 615-kilometer border with Ukraine. Suceava is the biggest town near the Ukrainian border.
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