Andriy Parubiy called for Baltic-Black Sea Alliance to counter Russian aggression

The states of the Baltic-Black Sea region should create an alliance to coordinate efforts aimed to countering Russian aggression and strengthening their own security. Such an opinion was expressed by Andriy Parubiy, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, during the 10th Kyiv Security Forum, organized by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation Open Ukraine.

"I am confident that within our countries at different levels we should look for a format and understanding of much closer Baltic-Black Sea Union, which will help in repelling aggression and restoring not only Ukraine’s security but security of the entire free world", he stated.

The Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament stressed that security is not just a military dimension, but also informational, economic, energy and human security. According to his words, for Ukraine the war did not begin three years ago, it began earlier, when Moscow performed pressure on Kiev through economic, energy fields and even though church.

"And in 2014, Russian troops invaded not only Ukraine, that was an aggression against the entire free world, against the entire Euro-Atlantic community. Ukraine is just at the forefront of this struggle. But without understanding that the threat from Putin is global, the world can not give an adequate response to it", Andriy Parubiy considers.

He stressed that Ukraine is an important goal of Putin, but it will not be the last. Putin’s main purpose is to restore influence on the entire geopolitical space, which was controlled by the Kremlin during the Soviet period.

"So I took the initiative to seek a format for closer union with the countries that understand the threat from Putin. These are the Baltic countries, and our colleagues from Romania, Poland and Georgia. I am sure that our closer union, it does not matter whether at the parliamentary or governmental level, will help to influence on the position of the entire Euro-Atlantic space", said the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

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Kyiv Security Forum was launched by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation Open Ukraine in 2007 is an annual international event to high-level discussions on the current issues in the Black Sea region and wider Europe. The Forum aims at increasing security cooperation between the EU and the Black Sea region, raising awareness about regional developments among key regional players, promoting the role of independent and non-governmental actors in setting the security agenda in Europe.