Oleksii Danilov: Draft Maritime Security Strategy pursues an ambitious goal – to make Ukraine a maritime nation
Endorsement of the Maritime Security Strategy of Ukraine is an essential step towards ensuring the national security in Ukraine’s maritime expanses. This has been discussed today, 22 November, during a meeting of the interagency working group on the preparation of draft Maritime Security Strategy of Ukraine.
Opening the meeting, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine Oleksii Danivol emphasised that the draft Maritime Security Strategy of Ukraine pursues an ambitious goal – to make Ukraine a maritime nation, as it is “a matter of our further survival and development”.
In this context, he reminded that the draft document had been considered and endorsed at a meeting of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine in 2022, two weeks before the full-scale invasion of russia. However, due to significant changes in the security situation in the Baltic-Black Sea region, the draft had been withdrawn for revision.
Oleksii Danivol underlined that the draft Strategy covers various aspects of the country’s life, including the economy, security, environment and international relations.
According to Secretary of the interagency working group on the preparation of draft Strategy, Head of the Strategic Development Department Serhii Kandaurov, the document refers to capacity building of the AFU to deter the armed aggression against Ukraine from the sea and river areas; establishment of the balanced Navy with all branches of the armed forces; building up the capabilities of the security and defence forces by equipping them with unmanned maritime vehicles, etc.
In addition, this is the first time the document has set out several objectives. These include creating conditions for the regular presence of NATO forces in the Azov-Black Sea region, using all possible international legal mechanisms to introduce and implement a complete ban on russia’s naval forces and warships in the Azov-Black Sea basin.
Commenting the draft Strategy, Commander of the Naval Forces of the Ukrainian Navy, vice admiral Oleksii Neizhpapa noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine support the document, asit would contribute to the protection of Ukraine’s national interests at sea, and “without the sea, there will be no Ukraine”.
Ukrainian MPs also took an active part in drafting the document. According to MP Yulia Klymenko, the parliament held committee hearings on the development of the Azov-Black Sea region. “Ukraine most not become a state by the sea, but a maritime nation. The Ministry of Internal Affairs must support the merchant fleet, and the merchant fleet must finance the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This is the practice of all civilised countries”, – she said.
The participants of the meeting of the interagency working group on the preparation of the draft Maritime Security Strategy of Ukraine agreed on the draft document. In the near future, it is planned to be submitted to the President of Ukraine for consideration by the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.