Kuleba says he raised the arms issue in talks with PM Ciucă: „We leave it up to countries to decide how they can help us / Romania’s policy is an intelligent one” / Aurescu avoided talking about Romania’s military aid to Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba said on Friday that he had raised the issue of arms in talks with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and said that „we leave it to the countries to decide how they can help us”. Dmitro Kuleba, visiting Bucharest, was received by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and held talks with Minister Bogdan Aurescu.

„If a country comes to us and says – ‘We don’t have tanks, but we have bullet-proof vests’ – we understand this, it is your sovereign choice, it is your national interest. In some cases, we see that countries can do something, but they don’t do it because they don’t want to have a bad relationship with Russia.

If we see that things are not happening, we increase diplomatic and public pressure. What we do not accept is hypocrisy. This is not the case with Romania. Romania has been very honest, open-minded, friendly, and jumpy since the beginning of this war,” Kuleba said during a press conference with Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu.

„We also talked (with Ciucă – editor’s note) about technical and military cooperation, the investigation of Russian war criminals, Ukraine’s integration into the European Union, and the Ukraine-Romania-Moldova triangle,” Kuleba said in a televised intervention on Digi24, following the press conference with Bogdan Aurescu.

” Weapons, like money, they like silence and we don’t comment on what we get and from where unless there is an official announcement about it. Romania’s policy since 24 February is a smart one. You can interpret the rest,” the Ukrainian head of diplomacy stressed.

„War is the moment of truth, then you see the true face of someone, and Romania has shown its true face, a friendly face. It has not only spoken but also acted. We will never forget,” said the Kyiv foreign minister.

Asked what kind of military aid Romania has provided to Ukraine, Aurescu refused to say, arguing that „it is not good to talk publicly about these things” because „things are in a constant evolution”

„Romania may not have talked enough about what it has done, but yes, we have managed to do (help Ukraine militarily – ed.). What I can assure you is that Romania is an extremely responsible state for fulfilling its international obligations toward its strategic partners. Things are constantly evolving and I think it is not good to talk publicly about these things”, said the Romanian Foreign Minister.

At the same time, the Government has not said anything about possible military aid offered by Romania to Ukraine.

„Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă gave assurances of continued support to Ukraine for humanitarian aid, management of the flow of refugees, facilitation of Ukrainian exports,” the Government said in a press release issued after the meeting between Ciucă and Kuleba.

Kuleba added that Ukraine will win the war with Russia. „Have no doubt, we will win, but in order to succeed as soon as possible we must cooperate as soon as possible on all levels,” he added.

Kuleba also congratulated the Romanian government for „standing by Ukraine”.

„Please have no doubt, we will win (the war with Russia – ed.). It is not only an attempt to stop Ukraine, but also a final battle for the rights of the nations of the Black Sea region, for the chance to live in peace as part of a free Europe. Unspeakable crimes have been committed by the Russian army in Ukraine.

You give us everything we need to win, and we keep Putin in Ukraine and defeat him there, so that he does not end up testing Article 5 of NATO. The best way to stop Putin is to give Ukraine what it needs,” explained Dmitro Kuleba.

For his part, Bogdan Aurescu said that „atrocities and war crimes” committed by the Russians in Ukraine „cannot go unpunished”. The head of Romanian diplomacy also said that Romania was ready to help Ukraine in the post-war reconstruction process.

„Atrocities, war crimes, and genocide cannot go unpunished. I express my condolences and deep regret for the loss of life that has been taken in this unlawful aggression.

We have reacted promptly since the beginning of the Russian invasion to receive Ukrainian refugees. The humanitarian hub in Suceava ensures a constant delivery of humanitarian stock to Ukraine. Romania is ready to be part of Ukraine’s reconstruction process,” Aurescu said at the conference with his Ukrainian counterpart.

Edited for English by Ovidiu H.