On December 22-26, Kyiv hosts the annual Conference of Ambassadors of Ukraine under the slogan: "War and New Horizons in the World". The key topic of the event is countering russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
Among the key issues of the Conference are mobilization of international efforts in support of Ukraine, strengthening the resilience and defense capability of our state, overcoming the consequences of war and recovery.
Addressing the ambassadors, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined the priorities on the political and diplomatic track of repulsing russian aggression and promoting Ukraine's national interests in the world. The ambassadors received clear instructions on the implementation of international initiatives proposed by the Head of State, in particular the Formula for Peace, as well as guaranteeing food security in the world.
The President of Ukraine emphasized that foreign diplomatic institutions should act in the conditions of martial law and ensure the achievement of concrete results that would be felt by both the state and every Ukrainian. In the geographical context, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian diplomacy should pay special attention to the countries of the Global South.
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak outlined the key tasks for the implementation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula. Priority steps to fulfill foreign policy priorities for 2023 were detailed in the speeches of his deputies: Andrii Sybiga, Ihor Zhovkva, Ihor Brusyl, Andrii Smirnov.
Within the framework of the Conference, separate thematic sessions were held with the participation of First Lady Olena Zelenska, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna, Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov and Minister of Energy German Galushchenko, as well as heads of security and defense agencies.
The participants discussed the intensification of parliamentary diplomacy, the use of economic diplomacy tools to attract diverse assistance and rebuild Ukraine. The participants of the Conference also defined the mechanism of coordination between the diplomatic service and the security and defense sector in order to mobilize international support for Ukraine and increase pressure on the aggressor state.
Particular attention was paid to the realization of the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, in particular in the context of the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Japan Yoshimasa Hayashi and Kenya Alfred Mutua addressed the participants of the Conference as guests of honor.
Summing up the results of the Conference, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba emphasized the top priorities of the Ambassadors' work in 2023. The Foreign Minister stressed that the key priorities of Ukrainian diplomats remain strengthening international support for our country in countering russian aggression, strengthening Ukraine's resilience and defense capabilities, restoring damaged energy infrastructure, and ensuring effective security mechanisms for Ukraine.
