Ukraine, aiming at a political and diplomatic solution to the aggression of the Russian Federation, needs lethal weapons to reduce military and civilian losses, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze has said.

"We have never asked NATO servicemen to protect us on our territory. We are ready to protect our state every day and will continue to actively do it. At the same time, while aiming at a political and diplomatic solution to this conflict - the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine - we ask support and solidarity, because the Russian Federation understands only the language of power ... and only systemic joint pressure can ensure Russia's return to respect for international law. We ask for lethal weapons to protect ourselves ... to have fewer military and civilian casualties," Klympush-Tsintsadze said during the 95th Rose-Roth seminar titled "Security and stability in Ukraine and the Black Sea region" in Kyiv on Monday.

She recalled that since the beginning of this year in Ukraine 120 soldiers have been killed and about 900 injured as a result of the armed conflict in Donbas. "We have 47 killed civilians and we have more than 100 civilians injured during this time," she said.

Klympush-Tsintsadze also said that Ukraine needs NATO membership not only to obtain an external guarantee of Ukraine's state sovereignty and territorial integrity, but in order to "have the opportunity to jointly defend common values."