Romania will not provide public information about Ukrainian military training programs or military aid provided to Ukraine, President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday during a press conference in Brussels, where he is participating in a meeting of the European Council.

Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Klaus Iohannis after signing a joint statement in Kotrocheny, October 2023.Photo: Presidency of Ukraine/Ukrainian Pre / Zuma Press / Profimedia

“Romania won’t be more transparent, so I won’t even give you the details of who will coach who. I can give you an example of such a project that I really like, the F-16 pilot training project that will take place at the base in Romania,” answered Klaus Iohannis.

As an argument for Romania’s decision to declassify this information, he cited the fact that it could be useful for Russia.

“I don’t think it’s useful to make public the details of military aid or where we train the Ukrainian military. We are near the front, it makes no sense to give media data to those who attack Ukraine. But all these measures are approved by the competent forums and are managed by them with great responsibility,” Yohannis explained.

Klaus Johannis’ response can be viewed in the video clip below at minute 11:30:

Romania has never publicly disclosed exactly what military aid it has sent to Ukraine during the more than two years of the Russian-initiated war. In response, the Ukrainian side provided the data. In February, the Center for Strategic Communications, an official Ukrainian government organization, said Romania had sent 15 military aid convoys to Ukraine and would help train Ukrainian F-16 pilots.

Volodymyr Zelenskyi: “Thank God, a smart Romania has appeared”

On December 20, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated at a press conference that Romania helped Ukraine survive during the Polish blockade of agricultural exports:

  • “Thank God, a smart Romania appeared and the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, simply helped me.
  • He helped our farmers survive. He also had so many difficulties, he had protests.
  • I think he showed a strong man who said, “Values ​​first, costs later.”

The President of Ukraine claimed that the grain issue “cannot be politicized when everything is blocked”, referring to the decision of the old conservative government to ban the import of Ukrainian grain.

  • “From April to September it was very difficult, we lost hundreds of millions of dollars, we lost part of the harvest, we lost every day.
  • And every day our farmers asked me: “Our fields are mined, how can we even get anything out?”.
  • But understand: I am not some coward, I defend the interests of my country during the war. I said: “let’s take out (grains)”, they didn’t give it. And it was a mistake. This is simply wrong,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest exporters of grain, and Constanta has become Kyiv’s biggest alternative export route since Russia invaded there last year, with grain arriving by road, rail or barge on the Danube.

Thank you also for Romania’s help for Ukraine’s air defense

In mid-November, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi mentioned Romania among the countries he thanked for helping Ukraine in air defense, because winter has come and Moscow’s attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure are expected to intensify.

  • “We are almost in the middle of November and we have to be ready for the fact that the enemy will increase the number of strikes by drones or missiles on our infrastructure.
  • Russia is preparing for winter. And in Ukraine, all our attention should be focused on defense, on responding to terrorists, on everything that Ukraine can do to help our people survive this winter and increase the capabilities of our soldiers,” Zelenskyy told Ukrainians in his daily address to the nation.

In this context, he thanked the countries that helped Ukraine with air defense, listing several countries, including Romania:

  • “USA, Germany, France, Great Britain, Norway, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Holland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Poland, Baltic countries and other countries.”

Zelensky noted that these countries provided Patriot, NASAMS, IRIS-T, RAVEN, Hawk and other missile complexes that help in air defense.

Read also:

VIDEO Ukraine thanks Romania for “sent 15 military convoys” / Message of the Government of Kyiv