President Nicusor Dan declared on Sunday, at the end of a new virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, that Romania has expressed its readiness to contribute, alongside the US and the European partners, to providing solid security guarantees, pointing out that this means a direct investment in Romania’s own security.

„Today, in a new video conference of the Coalition of the Willing, we discussed how we can coordinate our efforts in support of Ukraine, ahead of the upcoming negotiations. (…) Strengthening Ukraine ensures the security of Europe and of our region. As part of the Coalition of the Willing, we expressed our readiness to contribute alongside the US and our European partners to strong security guarantees, indispensable in this peace process. History has shown that Russia does not observe its own commitments. As Ukraine’s neighbors, contributing to such security guarantees means investing in our own security,” the head of the state said in a Facebook post.

He stressed that pressure on Russia – including through new sanctions – must not relent until peace is achieved.

„We all agree that unity and transatlantic coordination in support of Ukraine remain our source of strength in front of continued aggressive behavior by Russia. Stopping the attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure is the first step for Russia to show that it is committed to real peace negotiations. How can we trust Russia if it continues to kill innocent people? We have to continue to put pressure on Russia, including through new sanctions, until peace is achieved. Ukraine needs our support. No decision on Ukraine can be taken without Ukraine. That is Ukraine’s legitimate right,” President Nicusor Dan underscored.

AGERPRES