Sybiha on Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit: It was a meeting of like-minded partners

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said this on Ukrainian television, commenting on the outcome of the summit held earlier today in Odesa, according to Ukrinform.

"If I were to sum it up briefly, it was a meeting of like-minded partners who share a common understanding of the challenges Ukraine is facing today," Sybiha said. "As minister, it was especially important for me to hear the repeated message that Russia's aggression against Ukraine is also an aggression against these countries. Nearly every speaker emphasized this point. Everyone agreed that the security of Ukraine, of Europe, and of the countries of Southeast Europe is indivisible. That is perhaps one of the summit's key takeaways, particularly from a multilateral perspective."

He added that President Volodymyr Zelensky had held bilateral meetings with the heads of the visiting delegations, while the foreign minister met with his counterparts, and the head of the President's Office met with national security advisors.

"President Zelensky's invitation was accepted by ten high-level delegations, including seven at the level of heads of state and government. We also had two deputy prime ministers and the speaker of parliament from Albania, among others. The level of representation speaks to the importance of this summit," Sybiha said. "We value the fact that these delegations, despite advance warnings about potential security risks, came to Odesa. That in itself means there is now more security in the region."

He noted that the summit focused on security, ending the war, advancing and achieving a just global peace, and European integration.

During the summit in Odesa, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is the main source of threats to all countries in Southeast Europe.