Oleksandr Turchynov: While Withstanding Russia, Ukraine Seeks Partnership, but Relies on its Own Strength

In repelling the Russian aggression, Ukraine, first of all, relies on its own strength, but it remains open and seeks partnership.

Oleksandr Turchynov, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, stated this during the 11^th Kyiv Security Forum in Kyiv.

“We are forced, first of all, to rely on our own strength. But we are open and seek partnership,” he said.

Mr.Turchynov reminded that for four years in a row the Russian aggression against Ukraine had been continuing, meanwhile, Russia used all the potential of its hybrid war, “not stopping at nothing, even resorting to terrorist acts and sabotage in the central part of our country”. At the same time, nothing has improved in the direction of stopping the aggression. Even the opposite.

Along with the continuation of shelling on Donbas, the Russian Federation is concentrating the military equipment and personnel around the borders of Ukraine. In particular, more than 30 thousand Russian soldiers are located in the Crimea. “The Russian aggressor is preparing a powerful potential in the Crimea not only to protect its presence there,” Turchynov noted.

Additionally, two occupation corps of more than 35 thousand people are deployed in Donbas “to cover up and to win time for the deployment of the main Russian forces that are at the border”.

In vicinity to the border with Ukraine, there are about 260,000 Russian troops in the armies ‘ready for a large-scale continental war’. At the same time, there are 4 rocket brigades with missile complexes ‘Iskander-K’, equipped with cruise missiles with the range of up to 2,5 thousand km.

“The demonstrative withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is, in fact, a threat to all European countries”, the NSDC Secretary stated.

Additionally, he pointed out that in the case of Ukraine, which had recently tested a cruise missile, the very next day, the U.S. partners called on the official Kyiv to provide the combat characteristics of the missile. “Ukraine does not exceed the allowed range. But the question arises, for whom such treaties are concluded? For Ukraine?”, Mr.Turchynov wondered.

The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council expressed gratitude to the western partners for the imposed sanctions against the Russian Federation. At the same time, he noted that these sanctions “are not a present, but elementary means of protecting Europe from aggressive Russia”: “These are elementary measures to curb the aggressor. And there should be no double standards on this issue”.

O.Turchynov also believes that the partnership with NATO will become a safety protector in Europe: “Ukraine’s accession to the security space of Europe is a necessity, not just our desire”.

For reference:

The annual international event Kyiv Security Forum was launched by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation Open Ukraine in 2007 as a platform for high-level discussions on the current issues in Europe and the Black Sea region. 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.

The event is being held with the support of NATO Information and Documentation Center in Ukraine, the German Marshall Fund, The Victor Pinchuk Foundation, The Royal Institute of International Relations, Chatham House (UK), and The Regional Representative Office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Ukraine.