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President Iohannis stresses in consultations with Biden importance of accelerated creation of Battle Group in Romania
President Klaus Iohannis participated on Tuesday, at the invitation of his American counterpart, Joe R. Biden, in a new round of small-scale consultations with allied leaders, of the EU and NATO institutions and of the partner states, in in the context of the continuing illegal military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
The talks were also attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish President Andrzej Duda, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.
According to the Presidential Administration, this new round of transatlantic consultations took place in the context of dramatic humanitarian developments in Ukraine and the Russian Federation's military preparations for the resumption of the offensive.
The quoted source said that the leaders had analyzed the security situation and the prospects for its evolution, namely the particularly serious humanitarian one, resulting from the forced withdrawal of the Russian army from the previously occupied areas, and condemned the crimes committed against civilians, but also the massive destruction of inhabited areas and civil infrastructure.
In this context, strong support was reiterated for the work of the International Criminal Court in investigating, prosecuting and convicting those responsible for the crimes committed. The leaders also assessed the comprehensive strategy of support for Ukraine in all its dimensions, and addressed the firm and coordinated response measures taken by the international community with regard to the extensive package of sanctions to counter Russia's actions.
In his speech, President Klaus Iohannis welcomed the continuation, in a timely manner, of consultations in this format and the crucial importance of maintaining close coordination and allied and transatlantic unity, as well as with partners sharing the same vision in the regional context, with impact on Euro-Atlantic and global security, the source said.
"The President of Romania has strongly condemned the crimes committed by Russian troops against civilians and the continued bombing by the Russian army on civilian targets," the Presidential Administration said.
The head of state mentioned the complex steps taken by our country in support of Ukraine, in political, logistical and humanitarian terms. He stressed that in addition to the consistent efforts in support of Ukraine, there are also efforts to facilitate the flow of more than 770,000 Ukrainian citizens at the border and to host refugees on the territory of our country.
According to the Presidential Administration, President Iohannis also highlighted the broad impact of the current crisis on the security situation on the Eastern Flank of the Alliance, especially on the Black Sea. He also stressed the importance of the swift implementation of the decisions of the Extraordinary NATO Summit on March 24, especially the accelerated creation of the Battle Group in Romania, as a first step towards balancing and consolidating NATO's long-term presence on the Eastern Flank.
The head of state reiterated that the current serious security situation once again demonstrates the need to strengthen, in a coherent and unified manner, NATO's position of deterrence and defence in the region, and evoked decisions on the long-term transformation and adaptation of the Alliance, which must be adopted at the NATO Summit in Madrid in June.
In his speech, President Iohannis stressed the need to support the Republic of Moldova's efforts, both politically and economically, for the management of Ukrainian refugees, but also in the event of a possible new energy crisis.
The head of state also called for decisive and coordinated action to eliminate energy dependence on Russia, stressing that sanctions have proved to be an effective tool. President Iohannis also pointed out that Romania has supported the consistent package of sanctions adopted at European level so far and will maintain coordination for new measures.