A just end to the war is the responsibility of everyone in the international arena who seeks security and stability in their country - Oleksandr Korniienko
First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko took part in the 29th Forum 2000 Conference in Prague.
This year's conference is dedicated to the sustainability of diplomacy in the face of challenges. It aims to explore how cooperation between global democratic actors can be reconfigured at a time when democracies are facing unprecedented internal divisions, rising authoritarianism, widespread disinformation and rapid technological change.
According to Oleksandr Korniienko, the conference included a practical event, the United for Ukraine campaign, during which participants worked in working groups and discussed in detail the topic of Ukraine as an integral part of the Western security architecture. "We need weapons. We need financial support. We need further decisions on the European integration path. We need it not only for Ukrainians, but for everyone in the world. It is a well-known fact that security for all begins with security in Ukraine," he said.
The First Deputy Speaker stressed that putin continues to terrorise civilians and is now trying to destabilise the situation even further. Oleksandr Korniienko is convinced that the russian aggressor must feel the severe consequences of his decisions and see that there will be no tolerance for his crimes. "It is important that the society of other countries knows the truth about what is happening to society in Ukraine - constant rocket attacks, civilian casualties, killed children, strikes on infrastructure facilities. The kremlin is trying to distort reality and broadcasts excuses for its horrors. We must not allow people to believe in a picture rather than the real thing," said the First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, adding that a just end to the war is the responsibility of everyone in the international arena who seeks security and stability in their country.
Participating in a separate panel at the conference, Oleksandr Korniienko expressed the opinion that the next political cycle of Europe is being shaped on the battlefield in Ukraine. "It is being shaped in the trenches, in our cities without electricity in the East, at dozens of drone manufacturing companies, in schools and kindergartens that continue to educate and raise a new generation," he said.
Noting the success of the European integration stages, Oleksandr Korniienko noted that Ukraine has managed to quickly pass the screenings on its way to joining the European Union - this is the conclusion of the partners. "More than 70% of Ukrainians support European integration. And the whole nation deserves clear further decisions, because citizens gave their lives for the right to be members of the European Union. They have declared their intentions very loudly," said the First Deputy Speaker, adding that European integration is a bilateral movement. Therefore, Ukraine expects the opening of negotiating clusters for EU accession.
Oleksandr Korniienko thanked the organisers and participants of the 29th Forum 2000 Conference for keeping Ukrainian issues on the global agenda. "Ukraine is part of Europe not only geographically. Brave soldiers are defending our common values on the contact line, where russia has come uninvited because it is against democracy," the First Vice-Speaker concluded.