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Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday urged the Arraiolos Group to continue to give Ukraine the financial, military, and economic support it needs to win the war.
"The current war against Ukraine is an inflection point in our destiny and our duty is to defend the principles and international legal norms that are under attack by Russia.And this is what we have actually done. United and strong, to the surprise of Russia. Let's continue to give Ukraine the financial, military, economic support it needs to win the war. Let's continue to give them the political support and to plan how to help them reconstruct their country, once the war is over. Let's help them win the peace, too. The best chance to do it is to build on President Zelenskiy's Peace Formula.We, Europeans, individually and collectively, need not only to continue to provide support, but also to convince others to do it. So that Ukraine is in the best position to negotiate the peace. And Ukraine is the only one to decide the conditions for that negotiation. And Ukraine will be the only one to decide the conditions for that negotiation," Iohannis told a meeting of the Arraiolos Group at the Palacio da Bolsa in Porto on Friday.
"When we consolidate the security of Ukraine, we also strengthen our national security. And of the whole region. This is even more acutely perceived by my citizens, as recent Russian strikes on the Ukrainian Danube ports have had an impact also on my country's territory."
"We are constant and firm supporters of our neighbour and work towards consolidating their resilience so they should be able to withstand the Russian subversion. The Republic of Moldova is the second most affected country by the war. This is why we need to continue to also support Chisinau with all our means, in parallel to what we do for Ukraine," said Iohannis.
He went on to say that winning the peace after the war in Ukraine would involve more than settling the relationship between Ukraine and Russia in accordance with the UN Charter.
" We need to make sure that what is correct and useful in the current security arrangements, actively undermined by Russia, stays in place. Our goal should be that, on the basis offered by the Helsinki principles, an aggression such as the Russian one on Ukraine does not ever happen again," said the chief of state.
He added that if they want the EU to be effective on the global stage, they need to consolidate their internal resilience.
"We should aim not only at energy self-sufficiency and sustainability in environmental terms or infrastructure protection or reaction to civil emergencies. We should also aim at the smooth functioning of democratic political systems and protection against the dissemination of false information. At no point in our endeavor should we give up on our values. It is important to stay true to them and defend them. Also partly related to resilience, we need to reconcile European Union's enlargement with its functionality. Multi-speed Europe is not the answer. It might be the cheapest solution in terms of effort, a recipe for a diminished EU, not for a stronger one: the European Union would be as powerful as its most integrated grouping. The enlargement is necessary for the EU to play its rightful global role. At the same time, the European Union needs to have an efficient decision-making if it is to play that role," he added.
He also said that they need to work better with like-minded partners, in Europe and around the world, especially with their transatlantic partners.
"The transatlantic relationship is fundamental for the future of the international order. For the Political West and the international order to thrive, it is crucial that the European Union and the United States continue to work together in harmony. There is no other way if we want to ensure our prosperity and security," Iohannis said.
The Romanian chief of state attended the meeting of the Arraiolos Group as a special guest, part of a state visit to Portugal October 6-9.
