Black Sea, like the Baltic Sea, should become a NATO sea – Ukraine's Foreign Minister

A comprehensive security strategy is needed for the countries of the Black Sea region, and the Black Sea should become what the Baltic Sea has already become - a sea under the auspices of NATO.

Source: Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, at the Black Sea security conference in Bucharest; European Pravda

The  minister said that the Black Sea is an example of how quickly things can get worse if threats are ignored because Russia has been rattling weapons in the region for years.

"Georgia, Ukraine, Syria and, again, Ukraine… Moscow has carried out one brutal attack after another. Many in the West believe that Russians have "their truth." But the only truth is that Russia has always been preparing for a great imperialist war in order to hold another ‘Yalta’ Conference to divide Europe into spheres of influence," Kuleba said.

He expressed regret that the West did not have a consistent Black Sea strategy, while Russia has always had one: an aggressive, revanchist and barbaric one.

The minister recalled that Russia's first attempt at the territorial integrity of Ukraine took place on the island of Tuzla in the Black Sea 20 years ago.

"At every turn, Russia acted where the West doubted. Russia quickly attacked both countries when fear-driven caution closed NATO's doors to Ukraine and Georgia in 2008. Russia was becoming a maniac, but some leaders decided that the best strategy was to make the maniac happy, which included leaving its potential victims defenceless," Kuleba said.

He said that the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius is the right time to correct past mistakes, taking decisive steps forward on the way to Ukraine's membership in NATO. "To show that the doors are not only open, but there is also a clear plan for when and how Ukraine will enter them," he added.

"I think now we all understand that fear is not a strategy. The time has come to develop a comprehensive security network for all countries in the region that feel threatened by a maniac at large. The time has come to turn the Black Sea into what the Baltic Sea has become: a NATO sea," the minister stressed.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the issue of providing Ukraine with an action plan for NATO membership is no longer on the agenda. According to him, Ukraine has applied for membership of the Alliance and is awaiting decisions at the Vilnius summit that will bring Ukraine's membership of NATO closer.

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