President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks in the video format with Prime Minister of Montenegro Dritan Abazović.
The Ukrainian President told the interlocutor about today's Russian air attacks on the territory of Ukraine, which proved once again that the Russian military-political leadership has no intention of stopping its aggressive actions.
"I am sure that societies all over the world will understand that it is impossible to balance good and evil, that evil must be put in its place. I am sure that we will certainly do it with the whole world. We’ll make sure that Russia respects international law and the sovereignty of any state," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President called on the Parliament of Montenegro to join the parliaments of other countries in recognizing Russia as a state - sponsor of terrorism.
The Head of State expressed gratitude to Montenegro for the strong political support and significant practical assistance provided to our country. He highly appreciated the consistent accession of Montenegro to all sanctions packages adopted by the European Union against the Russian Federation.
For his part, Dritan Abazović assured that Ukraine can count on full support from Montenegro.
"You are defending not only your own territorial integrity and sovereignty - you are defending universal values: the right of people to choose their future, the future of their country. We are ready to fully work on sanctions, we provide assistance to refugees, as well as financial and military assistance," he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy separately thanked Montenegro for the military and technical assistance provided to Ukraine, which is of exceptional importance for strengthening the defense capabilities of our country.
The interlocutors discussed in detail the issue of European integration of Ukraine and Montenegro as candidate countries for accession. The President and the Prime Minister emphasized the need for practical cooperation in the context of Ukraine's preparation for the next stage - the start of pre-accession negotiations.
Special attention was paid to Ukraine's implementation of the Euro-Atlantic integration strategy. The Head of State emphasized that Ukraine continues the consistent implementation of the strategic course for Euro-Atlantic integration and counts on using the important experience of Montenegro, which has already completed its path to membership in the Alliance.
For his part, Dritan Abazović noted that Montenegro supports the Alliance's open door policy and, accordingly, the prospect of Ukraine gaining full membership in NATO.
Following the negotiations, the leaders signed the Joint Declaration, which defines the priority areas of cooperation between Ukraine and Montenegro within the strategic course of our country to acquire full membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
At the end of the negotiations, Dritan Abazović invited President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to visit Podgorica after Ukraine's victory.
