FM Sybiha named seven priorities for diplomacy of strength

According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The minister noted that this year’s meeting was the most geographically diverse and attracted a significant number of participants.

“We began our meeting with a joint laying of flowers at the Wall of Remembrance. Our main task is to ensure that no new photos appear on this wall and that we are never ashamed to look into the eyes of the people who look at us from it. This is what a just and lasting peace should be like. Achieving it requires diplomacy of strength,” Sybiha said.

He outlined seven priorities of power diplomacy that diplomats must implement in their daily work.

The foreign minister named strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities as the first priority, since strengthening capabilities on the front lines means strengthening positions at the negotiating table.

The second priority is to increase pressure on Russia and its allies. “Your mission is to systematically weaken the economic and military potential of the aggressor. We have created a sanctions policy department in the ministry—this is also an indicator of priority,” Sybiha noted.

The third priority, according to the minister, is to bring Russian war criminals to justice and return Ukrainians. The Foreign Minister pointed out the need to ensure the swiftest possible start of the Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine and stressed the importance of attribution within the framework of the OPCW and maximum involvement in the international compensation mechanism for damages.

“The fourth priority is resources for recovery and development. Each of you must do your utmost to attract financial, humanitarian, and other assistance to strengthen our resilience and overcome the consequences of the war. Reconstruction is not a task for tomorrow. It is a process that is ongoing today,” said the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking diplomats to work with governments to provide guarantees to their investors who want to invest in Ukraine.

The fifth priority is to promote Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration. Sybiha noted that Ukraine is “not a passive candidate in line,” but a key contributor, co-creator of a common security architecture, and defender of the values that define Europe.

The sixth priority is public diplomacy and communication. The Foreign Minister stated: “Our partner countries are democracies where public opinion shapes government policy. Russia’s efforts are aimed not only at discrediting us, but also at destabilizing the democratic system in the countries that support us.”

Sybiha added that supporting Ukraine also means supporting democracy, stressing that in every parliament, support for Ukraine must be a cross-party consensus and cannot be “the subject of political struggle or division.”

Finally, the minister named the protection and support of millions of Ukrainians abroad as the seventh priority. He said that consular services should not only expand their presence but also improve their quality. This involves further simplifying access to consular services, in particular through digitalization, and implementing the law on multiple citizenship.

“The world must feel our pain. However, even more so, the world must feel our strength today. Be inspired by it and believe in us. Do not tire, because we do not tire. Our allies must support us even more strongly and become stronger through cooperation with us,” Sybiha concluded.

As reported by Ukrinform, on July 21, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the main task of Ukrainian diplomacy is to promote everything that protects life in Ukraine, as well as everything that causes Russia pain for this war.

Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs