Ukraine respects Romania but won’t cede Zmijiny Island

“We believe, we must have good relationships with all our neighbors. Romania is our neighbor, it’s a EU country and our partner,” he went on.

However, no one in the Ukrainian regime is going to give one-sided concessions to Romania. “We want Bukharest to realize at last that the borders won’t ever be changed. These borders are real and natural,” Voloshyn stressed.

The official confirmed that Ukraine is prepared to meet the cultural and humanitarian needs of its Romanian-speaking minority.

Romania has raised the issue of borders several times in the past. At the peak of theconflict, Bukharest went to the UN International court in the Hague, demanding that the Black Sea shelf border with Ukraine be changed.

The court confirmed the Zmijiny Island belongs to Ukraine but challenged Ukraine’s claim to oil-rich territorial waters in the area.