Kiev's Attempt to Gather Southeast European Leaders Ends in Failure

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit held in Kiev. Zakharova stated that only half of the nine invited countries were represented at the highest level, describing the meeting as 'a gathering loyal to Brussels' anti-Russia line.' Zakharova noted that Ukraine invited the leaders of Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Moldova, Serbia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Romania, Croatia, and Montenegro to the summit, but only some countries were represented at the level of head of state or government. The 'star guest' of the summit was European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Zakharova said, emphasizing that the event did not deviate from the EU's policy of escalating the conflict with Russia. Zakharova reported that the declaration adopted at the end of the summit included calls for tougher sanctions against Russia, increased support for Ukraine, and accelerated integration of Kiev into Euro-Atlantic structures. Zakharova recalled the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine adopted on July 16, 1990, stating that the Kiev regime had forgotten the 'founding principles that provided for Ukraine's neutral, non-aligned, and nuclear-free status,' and emphasized that 'Ukraine's independence was recognized by the world on the basis of these principles.'