BUCHAREST/BUDAPEST: Additional controls by the Hungarian border police have led to waiting times of several hours for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. On Wednesday, the Romanian radio station Digi24 reported that queues of cars several kilometres long had formed at the crossing points of the Romanian-Hungarian border. However, the refugees were not being turned away by Hungary.
The day before the Romanian border guards said their Hungarian counterparts had officially announced longer waiting times. Hungary wanted to check those Ukrainians who did not have biometric passports more closely, they said.
The Hungarian authorities announced several days ago that Ukrainians without the correct documents could be stopped at the border and taken away for further questioning. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing to Romania and from thereon via Hungary towards Western Europe.
Canada pledges more military gear
BERLIN: Canada will send an additional $50 million worth of military equipment to help Ukraine in the fight against Russia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday in Berlin. He said he spoke with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier in the day and “told him that Canada will soon be sending highly specialised equipment to them.”
Canada had on February 14 already said it would deliver Can$7.8 million ($6.1 million) worth of lethal equipment and ammunition, before adding another pledge of $25 million in non-lethal protective gear. Beyond equipping Ukraine, Trudeau said three million dollars will go towards tackling Russian disinformation about Ukraine. “We need to stand up for truth and be vigilant against disinformation that tries to mislead us and more tries to divide us,” he said.
Kosovo lifts visa requirements for Ukrainians
PRISTINA: Kosovo suspended visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens, the foreign minister announced on Wednesday, in the latest move by Pristina to support the embattled country following the Russian attack. “We hope that the suspension of the visa regime for Ukrainian citizens would positively contribute to their entry or transit through the territory of the Republic of Kosovo,” Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz said in a statement.
Even with its modest economic and political weight, Kosovo has offered its support to Ukraine, despite Kyiv’s years-long refusal to recognise the disputed territory’s independence. Last week, Kosovo’s parliament voted to condemn Russia’s “illegal, unprovoked and unjustified” attack on Ukraine and launched its own targeted sanctions against Moscow. – AFP/Reuters