russia’s aggression imperils all countries of the Black Sea region, says Oleksii Reznikov

The Minister of Defence of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov took part in an online meeting with fellow ministers, organized by the Turkish side. The meeting was attended by Minister of National Defense of Turkey Hulusi Akar, Minister of Defence of Bulgaria Dragomir Zakov, Minister of Defense of Georgia Juansher Burchuladze, Minister of National Defense of Poland Mariusz Błaszczak and Minister of Defense of Romania Vasile Dincu .

The meeting was held for the first time in a similar format, with partners from Ukraine and Georgia discussing regional issues with the four NATO countries.

Particular attention was paid to security issues in the Black Sea region and the

humanitarian challenges posed by russia's attack on Ukraine.

The focus was also placed on ensuring the evacuation of civilians from combat zones, ensuring the safety of international shipping, possible ceasefire measures and maintaining peace.

All foreign partners have expressed unequivocal support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders.

"I want to thank my colleague Hulusi Akar for organizing this meeting, where my colleagues and I exchanged views on the challenges for the region in the context of the war waged by russia against Ukraine. I very much appreciate that Turkey has not recognized the illegal occupation of Crimea since 2014. Russia's attack has already caused a large-scale humanitarian crisis and posed a direct security threat to all Black Sea countries. The safety of international shipping has been violated. russia is creating provocations against civilian ships. Several of them are blocked in Ukrainian ports and have already been attacked by russia, there are victims. The russian navy throws into the sea seized mines in Sevastopol, which belonged to the Ukrainian Navy until 2014. De facto, it is an attempt to commit terrorist acts against civilian vessels. I informed the participants of the meeting about the situation at the front. Particular emphasis was placed on the situation in Mariupol, where russian troops caused a humanitarian catastrophe. I will note that all colleagues knew about the acts of genocide that the russian occupiers staged in Bucha and other suburbs of Kyiv. Such a dialogue is important to ensure the full support of Ukraine and the approach of our victory, " Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov.