Ukrainian diplomacy chief identifies five priorities of Foreign Ministry's work in 2024

Ukrainian diplomacy has several priorities, the completion of which is critical for everyone in the Foreign Ministry and embassies abroad.

Source: Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in a speech at the Wartime Diplomacy Forum, held by Ukrainian Prism, an NGO of foreign policy experts in Kyiv 

Details: Kuleba explained that defining and meeting those priorities is critical because they shall receive the majority of efforts, resulting in better outcomes.

The first priority is to provide air defence to Ukraine. "And not just air defence, but Patriots and SAMP-Ts. First and foremost, Patriots, there are many of these in the world," he stated. 

Kuleba insisted that he does not accept the answer about the impossibility of their supply: "The ‘we are working on it’ response is inappropriate. I'm only interested in knowing how many installations/batteries there will be and when."

The second priority is to ensure the success of Ukraine's Peace Summit, which is set for mid-June.

The third priority is the movement towards European Union and NATO membership.

"Regarding the EU, it is necessary to approve the negotiation framework and hold an intergovernmental conference, after which the work of the Foreign Ministry will end and be transferred to [...] negotiators," Kuleba explained, expressing confidence that this issue will become "diplomatic" again at the stage of the accession decision.

"According to NATO, we are preparing for the summit. Our partners are eager to reach an agreement before the summit, but it will be difficult," the minister added, declining to elaborate on Ukraine's expectations.

The fourth priority is Latin America.

The fifth priority is for Ukrainians residing abroad. "I don't think that the majority of those who leave will return. I believe that if nothing is done, they will lose their Ukrainian identity. Assimilation will occur quickly," Dmytro Kuleba said.

Ukraine's partners have recently requested the supply of air defence systems to Ukraine. Specifically, the head of the German Foreign Ministry stated that the Russian Federation will raze Kharkiv to the ground due to Ukraine’s forces lacking facilities and weapons.

On Thursday 11 April, Kuleba urged the French Foreign Minister to take immediate action to supply air defence to Ukraine, claiming that it was the lack of modern air defence systems that allowed the Russians to destroy the Trypillia Thermal Power Plant (TPP) near Kyiv.

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