Minister Angel Tîlvãr’s meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, as part of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group

Minister of National Defence, Angel Tîlvãr, accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, participated in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group Meeting (UDCG), chaired by the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, on Tuesday, September 19, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

The UDCG Meeting was attended by ministerial delegations from over 50 NATO member and partner countries.

The Romanian official reiterated Romania's full solidarity with the Ukrainian people, by emphasizing the multidimensional support provided by Romania by facilitating the grain transport, rendering operational of the F-16 Pilot Training Center for Romanian, Allied and Ukrainian pilots as well as by participating in the INTERFLEX mission, conducted on the territory of Great Britain and at EUMAM, under the coordination of the European Union.

Minister Tîlvãr strongly condemned the attacks of the Russian Federation against certain sites and elements of the civilian infrastructure in the Ukrainian ports at the Danube – Reni, Ismail and Chilia.

"The Russian Federation must understand that attacking civilian targets, in particular, is unacceptable in the civilized world, which is based not only on rules and norms, but also on values and respect for the human rights", the Romanian dignitary emphasized.

At the same time, during the meeting, the officials highlighted the need for unity and a sustained commitment of the international community in support of Ukraine, including throughout the post-conflict reconstruction process.

As part of the meeting, the Minister of National Defence had a bilateral meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov.

The Romanian Minister of National Defence reiterated the solidarity with the Ukrainian people and the multidimensional support provided by Romania to Kiev since the beginning of the war of aggression launched by the Russian Federation.

The Romanian official expressed his conviction that all these activities - such as the UDCG format, the high-level bilateral contacts as well as the various formats on the topic of security in the Black Sea region - represent solid elements in mobilizing the international community's support for Ukraine.

The two ministers agreed on the need to maintain a constant dialogue at ministerial level, at the level of the two institutions, in order to identify new ways of cooperation.

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The Ukraine Defence Contact Group initiative, now at its 15th meeting, was launched in April 2022 by US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and brings together defence ministers and senior military officials from more than 50 countries in order assess the development of the security crisis from Ukraine and identify ways to continue tight coordination at the level of the international community with a view of supporting the Ukrainian people with the necessary means to defend their territorial sovereignty.

The Press Office