Continuation of military and financial aid to Ukraine and warnings about the danger from Russia in the Western Balkans are the key messages of the "Ukraine - Southeast Europe" Summit held on February 28 in the capital of Albania.
The summit in Tirana, which was held at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, was also attended by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, together with several other leaders of Southeast Europe.
After the Summit, Zelenski warned the countries of the Western Balkans that Russia will do everything to destabilize the situation in that part of Europe.
Zelensky said at the press conference that "Russia will not stop" and that "Russia is drawing conclusions from the mistakes it made on the territory of Ukraine and will destabilize even more, will use other tactics."
"Today's summit is a union and I think the Balkan countries should gather today. Russia will do everything to destabilize the situation," said the Ukrainian president.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who was a co-organizer of the summit with Zelenskiy, called on the countries to continue helping Ukraine, which has been facing Russian occupation since February 2022.
At the press conference after the Summit, Rama said that the issue of aid to Ukraine should not be used for internal political issues in leading countries. He stated that he is aware that countries like Albania cannot meet Ukraine's defense needs, so he called on big and rich countries to help Kyiv.
According to him, claims that stopping the supply of arms to Ukraine will bring peace "are not only cynical, but also absurd because war does not stop by disarming the victim. You stop war by stopping the perpetrator."
"Ukraine deserves support and help by all necessary means to resist and ensure that any peace resulting from this war is a just peace, based above all on Zelensky's 10-point plan, which we support and want all countries to discuss," he said. is Rama at the press conference with Zelenski.
Security issues and support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression were discussed at the summit.
Some more messages from the Summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in Tirana that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is using the dictates of the past to force countries to do as he wants.
During the "Ukraine - Southeast Europe" summit, Zelensky said that Europe should be a space where each country determines its own destiny.
"We have seen in the past that there were people who tried to determine the fate of other nations. It happened in the Balkans, Eastern Europe and other parts of Europe. Now Putin wants to do it. All his hostility, all he does, is to force others nations to do as he pleases. Therefore, it is important for all our countries that Putin, his regime, loses, because his failures are our common security," he said.
The Ukrainian leader thanked the countries of Southeast Europe for the help they provided to his country in the war, but also in European integration.
"The EU and NATO have provided Europe with the longest and most reliable era of security, peace and economic development, and we deserve to finally be part of the European and Euro-Atlantic community," he said.
Speaking about defense, Zelenskiy said that he is interested in increasing cooperation with the countries of the Western Balkans, especially in the area of ammunition production.
"We see that the problems with ammunition are affecting the situation on the battlefield (in Ukraine). We are interested in co-production with you and all other partners. Our government team will present the details of holding the Ukrainian and Balkan defense industry forum in Kyiv, or in one of your capitals ", he said.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said in his opening statement that Putin launched an unprovoked war against Ukraine in February 2022 because "he was guided by an old dream of an imperial past."
"Your presence here is a reminder that he failed, despite military power and toxic propaganda, neo-imperialist Russia failed to suppress the democratically elected Ukrainian government. It failed to suppress the will of Ukrainians to live in a free, independent and democratic state," Rama said.
Vučić says he "understands" Zelenski
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, whose country has not complied with international sanctions against Russia, said in a statement to journalists that he understands the President of Ukraine, "a man fights for his country and seeks what he can get".
Vučić added that countries that are at war for Serbia are not allowed to be the end users of weapons made in Serbia, but also rejected responsibility for where those weapons will end up.
"Whoever buys from us, when Spain buys, when the Czech Republic buys, when whoever buys, where will it appear... maybe at their training ground, maybe to check how it works, but somewhere on the battlefield. And you want us to destroy factories and 20.000, with subcontractors maybe 30.000 people to leave without work," said Vučić.
He stated that in the final declaration from the summit in Tirana, there are no points about the introduction of sanctions against Russia and the malignant influence of Moscow.
Vučić said that the discussions on the proposal of the declaration lasted "all day and night" and that at the request of Serbia, the points on the introduction of sanctions against Russia and Russia's malignant influence, as well as the terms "our country" and "our countries" which are mentioned in several points.
"Despite the desire to really support international public law, our Ukrainian friends, we cannot accept that," said Vučić.
The issue of the Ukrainian recognition of Kosovo
The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, upon arriving at the summit, said that she would talk about the concrete steps her country is taking to support Ukraine.
She was asked if she would ask President Zelenski to recognize the independence of Kosovo, she said that these are bilateral issues.
"We have always made such a request and we will continue to do so with the full understanding that Ukraine is in a state of emergency, in a state of war, to fight for freedom," said Osmani.
"I am convinced that that moment will come together with the victory of Ukraine," she added.
Signed agreement on friendship and cooperation between Albania and Ukraine
Previously, Zelenski met with Rama in Tirana. After the meeting between the Albanian Prime Minister and the Ukrainian President, the delegations of both countries also met.
The meetings ended with the signing of the Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation between the two countries by Rama and Zelenski.
"The agreement serves to strengthen the friendship between the two countries and peoples, through the expansion and strengthening of cooperation in various areas of common interest," the statement of the Government of Albania states.
Zelenski arrived for his first visit to Tirana, which comes just a few days after the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, on February 27 shortly before midnight, Albanian Foreign Minister Igli Hasani said.
The Albanian Prime Minister expressed his pride in organizing the summit, which was "co-organized" by Zelenski.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba was also in the Kyiv delegation and at a meeting on Wednesday morning with his Albanian counterpart Hasani said that the Summit "sends a clear message that we remain united".
"It is very important that Russia is held accountable for the crime of aggression and war crimes committed during the war," Kuleba said.
The Ukrainian head of diplomacy also spoke about the NATO summit, which will be held in Washington, and reiterated his country's intention to become part of the Western military alliance.
"Our expectations are that, among other things, one of the results of the Washington summit will be a step forward towards Ukraine's membership, which will ultimately make this part of Europe safer," he said.
Preparations for the opening of the Albanian embassy in Kyiv
The head of Albanian diplomacy, Igli Hasani, announced that the authorities are in the phase of preparations for the opening of the Albanian embassy in Kiev, stressing that he hopes that the inauguration will take place "in the coming months".
"Albania supports the freedom, independence, territorial integrity of Ukraine. Albania strongly condemns Russian aggression against Ukraine," Hasani said, adding that his country will continue to support Kiev during the war, but also in the post-war phase, in the reconstruction of the country.
In addition to Rama and Zelenski, the Summit was attended by several leaders of Southeast European countries and EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelji. Kosovo was represented by President Vjosa Osmani. The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, the President of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, the President of Montenegro, Jakov Millatović, the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto, and the President of Moldova, Maja Sandu, were also present.
It is expected that the leaders of the six countries of the Western Balkans - Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro - will also be in Tirana on Thursday.
On February 29, a regional summit for the growth plan and the fastest integration into the EU will be held in the capital of Albania, in which European Commissioner Varhelji will also participate.
For now, it is not clear whether anyone from Kosovo will participate. Prime Minister Aljbin Kurti, who participated in previous summits related to the EU growth plan, is in Great Britain this week.
Security measures were increased in Tirana during the two summits.
Relations between Albania and Ukraine
After the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, on February 24, 2022, Albania stood by the European Union and the United States of America in support of Ukraine.
As part of this support, several decisions were approved allowing citizens of Ukraine to enter and stay in Albania without a residence permit for a period of one year.
According to the data of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for the year 2022, of the 32.000 Ukrainians who entered Albania after the start of the war, about 2.500 remained in this country after 2022.
The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Olta Xhaka, said in January last year that Albania will open an embassy in the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv. However, that hasn't happened yet.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on January 13, 1993, while Ukraine opened its embassy in Tirana in September 2020.
Volodymyr Shkurov, who is still in office, was appointed as its ambassador.
About 3.500 Albanians live in the Odesa region of Ukraine.
Ukraine seeks the support of the West
Ukraine relies heavily on arms and ammunition supplies from its Western allies, mainly the United States, to withstand increasingly intense attacks by Russian forces.
Recently, Ukrainian officials asked for further support from the West, and Zelensky said that Ukraine's victory in the war against Russia depends on that support.
He also said he hoped the $60 billion package from the U.S. -- which has faced opposition from Republican Party representatives -- would pass.
Meanwhile, during a summit of European leaders in Paris on February 26, French President Emmanuel Macron said there was a "broad consensus to do more and faster" for Ukraine, which has been battling a Russian invasion for two years.
The participants agreed to create a coalition to supply Ukraine with medium- and long-range missiles, as well as bombs.
Macron said there was "no consensus" on sending European ground troops to Ukraine to fight on its side, but added that "nothing should be ruled out to achieve our goal".
The Kremlin has warned Kiev's European allies that sending troops to Ukraine would "inevitably" lead to war between Russia and NATO.
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