Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia’s military plans target the Odesa region to destroy it and reach Ukraine’s borders with Moldova and Romania. He issued the warning during the Ukraine–Southeast Europe Summit, IPN reports.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine’s resistance against Russian aggression is crucial for European security. “Odesa is an important city for all of us—not just a symbol of southern Ukraine. It stands at a crossroads between Northern and Southern Europe, the Balkans and the Caucasus, between European stability and the threats undermining it,” he emphasized, as quoted by Ukrainian media.
Zelensky stated that after the war ends, Ukraine will need not only defense assistance but also systemic guarantees to prevent future aggression. He called on international partners to treat post-war security guarantees as a practical necessity.
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Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who attended the summit in Odesa, reaffirmed Moldova’s support for Ukraine, emphasizing that Russia’s war threatens both regional stability and the global rules-based order. “Ukraine is the cornerstone of European security. This war is not just about Ukraine—it’s about Europe’s future and the global order founded on rules. An independent, European Ukraine is not a charitable cause—it is our vital interest,” President Sandu declared.
She also pledged Moldova’s full support for establishing the Hybrid Threat Prevention Center in Odesa and expressed the country’s readiness to share its experience in countering such threats.
Now in its fourth edition, the Ukraine–Southeast Europe Summit was launched in 2023 as a regional platform to support Ukraine against Russian aggression and address the war’s complex effects on security and stability across the broader Southeast European region.