For 1200 days, Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine has been going on, and the courageous struggle of the Ukrainian people to defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity continues. There is no European country, with the exception of Belarus, regardless of whether it is a member of the European Union or NATO, that does not support Ukraine's efforts in this just struggle for the Ukrainian people. We are united and strong, shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine. This was stated by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov in Odessa, where he is participating in the “Ukraine-Southeast Europe“ Summit.
Prime Minister Zhelyazkov was categorical that when talking about achieving sustainable and lasting peace, this goes through clear and concrete steps. Such proposals made by the Ukrainian side to cease hostilities, that is, to achieve a ceasefire that would allow for the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of abducted Ukrainian children to their homeland, are unfortunately met with ultimatums from the Russian side, which do not provide guarantees, Zhelyazkov pointed out. In his words, it is precisely the ceasefire that is a prerequisite for starting to talk about the conditions of peace, and subsequently about the restoration of Ukraine.
In the context of the security architecture in Europe, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov also highlighted the importance of European defense capabilities. The deterrent effect of any aggression is the respective readiness of each state, in the case of the Union, to defend itself, the Prime Minister pointed out. According to him, this is the reason why defense capabilities have been highlighted as a priority topic for both the EU as a whole and for each individual member state.
Another emphasis in the discussions at today's Summit was related to the accession of Ukraine, Moldova and the countries of the Western Balkans to the European Union. For us, and this is the pan-European approach, accession that is based on merit - that is, the fulfillment of all the criteria for this, is the prerequisite for the start of the negotiation process, Zhelyazkov pointed out. The Prime Minister specifically highlighted the importance of the attitude towards national minorities in the context of European values. For us, as a country of the European Union, which has the largest national minority in Ukraine, the attitude of the state towards our compatriots in all aspects of their inclusion in political, economic and social life, including in the reconstruction of Ukraine, is extremely important, Prime Minister Zhelyazkov also stated. The Prime Minister was categorical that the political will in Ukraine and the readiness of the Ukrainian people to share pan-European values are obvious.