After his historic visit to Romania on October 10, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky posted several messages on social media thanking Romania and its officials for the assistance provided since Russia's invasion.

"I am grateful to Mr. president Iohannis, the entire Romanian political class and society. Our strategic relations are a new force for the entire Black Sea region. If we succeed in implementing everything we have planned now and which our teams will be working on, this part of Europe will get a new source of economic and security development. Thank you to everyone who supports us! It is good that today, we managed to bolster our defence! Glory to Ukraine!" wrote Zelensky on Facebook, alongside a video message dedicated to Ukrainians.

He also posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) in Romanian, saying, "Mulțumesc, România!" The short video documents his visit to Bucharest.

Mulțumesc, România 🇺🇦🇷🇴 pic.twitter.com/qBc43f3b1Q

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 10, 2023

The Ukrainian president was received on Tuesday at the Cotroceni Palace by his counterpart, Klaus Iohannis. He also had meetings with prime minister Marcel Ciolacu at Victoria Palace, as well as with the president of the Senate, Nicolae Ciucă, and the interim president of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfred Simonis, at the Palace of Parliament.

The Romanian prime minister announced that he requested that Ukrainian authorities promptly acknowledge the non-existence of the so-called "Moldovan language" during his meeting with Zelensky. He also conveyed Romania's support for Ukraine's and Moldova's EU accession by the end of this year. 

According to a government press release cited by Digi24, the two officials discussed joint efforts to improve cross-border connectivity between Romania and Ukraine, agreeing to accelerate infrastructure projects to double the transit capacity through Romanian ports on the Danube and the Black Sea from 2 million to 4 million tons, for Ukrainian exports. President Zelensky presented Ukraine's immediate needs, especially with the approaching winter season, and discussed the reconstruction process. 

Former Romanian prime minister and current president of the senate Nicolae Ciuca also ensured president Zelensky of Romania's support. He told the Ukrainian head of state that Romanians relate to Ukraine's struggle for freedom.

"As Romanians, we understand well the natural desire of Ukrainians to live like other Europeans in a free, secure, democratic, and prosperous country. Therefore, Romania fully supports Ukraine's European integration and security objectives. This was also Romania's path after leaving Moscow's sphere of influence, which proved to be the best way for all of Eastern Europe," Ciuca said in a message on Facebook.

During the meeting with president Klaus Iohannis, Zelensky thanked the Romanian people for their support and aid to Ukraine, both militarily and humanitarian. The two discussed opening new border crossing points, the situation of national minorities, and the acceleration of Ukrainian pilot training on F-16 aircraft at the specialized center in Romania. The security situation at the Danube was also addressed, and the two presidents signed a political declaration, taking the bilateral relationship to the level of a strategic partnership.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Nicolae Ciuca)