Kuleba calls on nine countries on eastern flank of NATO to provide Ukraine with more weapons, increase sanctions pressure on Russia

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine took part online in the meeting of the Bucharest Nine, NATO member countries Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic at the invitation of Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has said.

"We need to impose more sanctions against Russia and provide more weapons to Ukraine. Both factors contribute to the negotiations, not hinder them. The stronger Ukraine, the more possible a real and mutually acceptable solution becomes, the more likely that a future agreement will be in the interests of peace and security in Ukraine and Europe," Kuleba said.

The minister warned that there can be no sanctions "weariness" because that is equal to "weariness" from war crimes, the killing of children and the destruction of cities. He said delaying decisions can only lead to negative consequences, and called on allies on NATO's eastern flank to take proactive steps to prevent.

"I urge you to focus on two priorities. First: how to strengthen Ukraine with weapons. Second: how to weaken Russia in order to prevent it from achieving its goals. You are well aware of the military needs of Ukraine. I urge you to consider them as your own, and not just our needs," Kuleba said.

The minister believes that more steps can be taken in the political, information and economic sectors. He welcomed the expulsion from a number of European capitals of Russian agents acting under cover of diplomats. The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called for the nullification of Russian influence in all NATO member countries.

"We expect that the countries of the Bucharest Nine will introduce additional sanctions against Russia and ensure the proper implementation of those already introduced," he said.

Kuleba also called for isolating Russia on all fronts, ruthlessly cutting off all her escape routes, and nullifying all malicious Russian activities abroad.

"Undoubtedly, Russia has already suffered a strategic defeat in Ukraine. Now it is necessary to ensure a strategic victory for Ukraine. A victory for Ukraine will mean the victory of the entire democratic world. This is a defining moment in the history of this century, the greatest challenge for our generation. challenge, the future of our children will depend," Kuleba said.

The minister expressed special gratitude to his Slovak counterpart Korčok for the invitation to participate in the meeting of the Bucharest Nine. He also thanked nine allies on NATO's eastern flank for taking care of Ukrainian citizens forced to temporarily go abroad, as well as actively promoting Ukraine's integration into the EU.