Klaus Iohannis

"We have a common responsibility for security in the region. A priority common goal for our two countries is Schengen and we declare our readiness for our acceptance as soon as possible". This was stated by President Rumen Radev after a meeting with his Romanian colleague Klaus Iohannis, who is visiting Bulgaria at the invitation of the Bulgarian head of state.

The European Commission will meet on June 16 to give its fast-tracked opinion on Ukraine's bid for EU candidacy, a step closer to membership for the country a day after the bloc's most powerful leaders visited Kyiv as it battles Russia's invasion.

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

By train to Kyiv - Macron, Scholz and Draghi arrived in Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi arrived by train in the Ukrainian capital to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The bicameral Romanian parliament on Tuesday elected two new judges at the Constitutional Court - Bogdan Licu and Laura-Iuliana Scantei, both of whom are believed to be close to President Klaus Iohannis.

Licu, who was nominated by the Social Democratic Party, PSD, for the position, was supported 208 lawmakers in the Chamber of Deputies while 93 voted against.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov and the delegation that visited Kyiv arrived in Bucharest yesterday on a flight from Warsaw.

In the Romanian capital, the prime minister met with Romanian counterpart Nicolae Ciuca, President Klaus Iohannis and EU Transport Commissioner Adina Valean.

The talks focused on the war in Ukraine and gas supplies to Bulgaria and Romania.

Socially conservative ethnic Hungarian politicians in Romania have proposed law changes aimed at preventing a Western-style "assault of gender ideology" on Romania by fixing a child's identity on the basis of their sex at birth.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke yesterday with the Bucharest Nine (B9) - NATO Allies group part of the eastern flank, to underscore the United States' commitment to Transatlantic security and the U.S.'s sacred commitment to NATO's Article 5.

Romania's parliament swore in a government led by new Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca on Thursday, with 318 votes out of 466.

The new majority comprises the National Liberal Party, PNL, the Social Democratic Party, PSD, and the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, UDMR.

President Klaus Iohannis nominated the former defence minister and reserve general Nicolae Ciuca as Romania's next Prime Minister of Romania on Monday after talks with most parties in parliament.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday announced new restrictions that will come into force on Monday due to rising numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths.