Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned the Western Balkan states that Russia will do everything to destabilize the situation, writes Euronews.al.

“Today’s summit is about unity, and I believe that the Balkan states should unite today. Russia will do everything to destabilize the situation,” Zelensky said during a media conference after the Summit for Ukraine held in Tirana, Albania.

“Russia will not stop. Russia draws conclusions from the mistakes it has made in Ukrainian territory and will further destabilize, will use other tactics,” he added.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama also acknowledged that there is a clear risk to the Balkans due to Russian aggression.

“What is happening there [in Ukraine] may repeat itself in different ways,” said Rama.

According to Rama, war can happen, no matter how impossible it may seem, and that “we should not play with fire”.

“If we lose this clarity, we risk entering a dark phase.”

During the media conference, Rama called on states to continue aid to Ukraine, which has been facing Russian occupation since February 2022.

He said that the issue of aid to Ukraine should not be used for domestic political issues in critical states.

Rama said that he is aware that states like Albania cannot meet Ukraine’s defense needs, so he urged large and wealthy states to help Kiev.

According to him, claims that halting the provision of arms to Ukraine will bring peace “are not only cynical but also absurd because you do not stop the war by disarming the victim. You stop the war by stopping the aggressor”.

“Ukraine deserves to be supported and assisted with all necessary means to resist and ensure that any peace resulting from this war will be a just peace, primarily supported by Zelensky’s 10-point plan, which we support and want to be discussed by all states,” Rama said during a media conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The summit discussed security issues and support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

“We have made it very clear; I am proud to say that it is not only the Government, Parliament, and institutions, but the entire nation, the entire population of our country stands with Ukraine and supports Ukraine, without any hesitation,” said Rama.

Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, in a statement to journalists, said that the agreement reached at the Summit for Ukraine held in Tirana does not mention sanctions against Russia or Russia’s negative influence.

According to him, this was made possible at Serbia’s request.

“The participants agreed to remove the part about sanctions and Russia’s negative influence… We have been informed that this has been accepted. There are no sanctions, there is no talk of sanctions, there is no mention of Russia’s negative influence,” said Vučić.

Serbia has not imposed sanctions on Russia because of its aggression against Ukraine but has supported UN resolutions condemning Russian occupation.

During the opening speech at the summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is using past dictatorships to make states act as he wishes.

During the “Ukraine – Southeast Europe” summit held in Tirana, Albania, Zelensky said that Europe should be a space where each state determines its own fate.

“We have seen in the past that there have been people who have tried to determine the fate of other nations. This has happened in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, and other parts of Europe. Now Putin wants to do this. All his enmity, everything he does, is to force other nations to act as he wishes. Therefore, it is important for all our states that Putin, his regime, loses because his failures are our common security,” he said.

The Ukrainian leader thanked the Southeast European states for the assistance provided to his country in the war, but also in European integration.

He said that all states in the region, sharing European values, should integrate.

He also said that all states in the region that cultivate European values should integrate into “The EU and NATO have offered Europe the longest and strongest era of security, peace, and economic development, and we deserve to finally be part of the European and Euro-Atlantic community”.

Speaking of defense, Zelensky said he is interested in increasing cooperation with the Western Balkan states, especially in the field of joint production of ammunition.

“We see that ammunition issues are affecting the situation on the battlefield [in Ukraine]. We are interested in joint production with you and all other partners. Our government team will present details for holding a defense industry forum for Ukraine and the Balkans in Kiev or in any of your capitals,” he said.

In his opening speech, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama called on democratic states in the region, as well as the wealthier ones, to continue supporting Ukraine financially and militarily because, according to him, Ukraine’s survival depends on this support.

“The way to end the war is not to disarm the victim for the aggressor to stop. Rewarding an aggressor who occupies the territory of a sovereign state does not bring peace but opens the way for more war,” Rama said.

Rama said that Putin initiated the unwarranted war against Ukraine in February 2022 because he was “driven by an old dream of an imperial past”.

“Your presence here is a reminder that he has failed, despite military power and toxic propaganda, the neo-imperialist Russia has failed to suppress the democratically elected Ukrainian government. It has failed to suppress the will of Ukrainians to live in a free, independent, and democratic state. It has failed to silence the truth,” said Rama.

Rama and Zelensky with friendship treaty

Previously, Zelensky met with Rama in Tirana. After the meeting between the Albanian prime minister and the Ukrainian president, the delegations of both states also met.

The meetings concluded with the signing by Rama and Zelensky of the Friendship and Cooperation Treaty between the two states.

“The treaty serves to consolidate friendship between the two countries and peoples, through the expansion and strengthening of cooperation in various fields of mutual interest,” said a statement from the Albanian government.

The Ukrainian leader arrived in Tirana shortly before midnight, according to Albanian Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Igli Hasani.

This is Zelensky’s first visit to Tirana, coming just a few days after two years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Albanian Prime Minister expressed pride in organizing the summit.

During his participation in the exhibition “Ukraine, a war crime” at the Center for Openness and Dialogue (COD) in Tirana, Rama stated that, besides being a “co-organizer” at the summit, Zelensky will also hold bilateral meetings with political leaders of Albania.

These meetings will take place before the summit, which is set to begin at 11:30.

The Ukrainian delegation will also include the Foreign Minister of the country, Dmytro Kuleba.

Kuleba: The summit sends the message that we remain united

On the morning of February 28, he met with his Albanian counterpart, Igli Hasani.

Kuleba said he is grateful to Albania for organizing the summit, which he said “sends a clear message that we remain united”.

He thanked Albania for the assistance provided while his country is facing Russian aggression.

“It is very important for Russia to be held accountable for the crime of aggression and war crimes committed during the course of the war,” Kuleba said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister also spoke about the NATO summit, to be held in Washington, reiterating his country’s aim to become part of the Western military alliance.

“Our expectations are that, among other things, one of the results of the Washington summit will be a step forward towards Ukraine’s membership to ultimately make this part of Europe safer,” he said.

Meanwhile, Albanian Chief Diplomat Igli Hasani announced that authorities are in the preparation phase for the opening of the Albanian Embassy in Kiev, hoping that the inauguration will take place “in the coming months”.

“Albania supports the freedom, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Albania strongly condemns Russian aggression against Ukraine,” Hasani said, adding that his country will continue to support Kiev during the war and in the post-war phase, in the reconstruction of the state.

Relations between Albania and Ukraine

After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Albania stood alongside the European Union and the United States in support of Ukraine.

As part of this support, several decisions have been made that allow Ukrainian citizens to enter and stay in Albania without residence permits for a one-year period.

According to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for 2022, out of 32,000 Ukrainians who entered Albania after the start of the war, about 2,500 remained beyond 2022 in this country.

Albania’s former Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Olta Xhaçka, said last January that Albania would open an embassy in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. However, this has not yet been realized.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on January 13, 1993, and Ukraine opened its embassy in Tirana in September 2020.

Its ambassador is Volodymyr Shkurov, who is still in office.

About 3,500 Albanians live in the Odessa region of Ukraine.