Romanian President Nicușor Dan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a strategic partnership agreement in Bucharest on March 12, marking a new stage in bilateral relations and outlining plans for cooperation in defence, energy and transport.

During a joint press conference after the signing, Dan acknowledged that relations between the two countries had historically been marked by mistrust but said this had now been overcome.

“Historically, there was distrust between our countries,” Dan said, adding that this distrust had now “evaporated”.

According to the Romanian president, the discussions focused primarily on the war in Ukraine and Romania’s continued support for Kyiv. The two sides also addressed military cooperation, including plans for joint drone production.

“We talked about our military collaboration, and one of the signed documents refers to the joint production of drones in Romania,” Dan said.

The issue of the Romanian minority in Ukraine — a politically sensitive topic in Romania — was also discussed. Dan said Kyiv had offered assurances regarding the protection of minority rights.

“We received guarantees regarding the continuation of the functioning of schools in the Romanian language and for all other rights of the Romanian minority in accordance with the rights of minorities established by international charters,” he said.

Dan also invited Zelenskyy to attend the Bucharest Nine (B9) meeting scheduled to take place in the Romanian capital in May.

Zelenskyy also met Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, with talks focusing on economic cooperation and joint projects in defence, energy and transport.

In the energy sector, discussions highlighted electricity interconnection projects, opportunities related to the Vertical Corridor gas initiative and potential cooperation linked to Black Sea hydrocarbon resources, according to a Romanian government press release.

Transport infrastructure cooperation was another key topic, including road, rail and naval connections. Among the projects discussed were a possible bridge over the Danube between Orlivka in Ukraine and Isaccea in Romania, the operation of a direct Kyiv-Bucharest railway line and the opening of additional joint border crossing points.

The two sides also explored opportunities for cooperation in the reconstruction of Ukraine, including projects financed through European mechanisms and strategic investments under the EastInvest initiative aimed at strengthening infrastructure along the EU’s eastern border.

In the defence sector, joint industrial projects were discussed, including drone production in Romania using Ukrainian expertise, potentially supported through the EU’s SAFE programme.

Bolojan also raised the importance of respecting the rights of the Romanian minority in Ukraine, including access to education in Romanian and religious freedom. He noted that the Romanian government is ready to support the renovation of schools attended by ethnic Romanian children.

“The Romanian community in Ukraine and the Ukrainian community in Romania are bridges between our countries,” Bolojan said.