Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Dubrovnik Forum participants on Saturday that his country, under brutal Russian aggression, was not fighting only for itself but for all of Europe, calling on partners to increase and step up weapon deliveries.

Ukrainians are fighting, risking their lives in order to remain an independent country founded on European values – democracy, freedom, respect for human rights, equality and the rule of law, he said via video link.

But we are not fighting only for a free, democratic and peace-loving Ukraine, we are also fighting for all of Europe, he added.

Kuleba told the Dubrovnik Forum participants that they were well-aware of the brutal Russian aggression and that many of the challenges Ukraine was facing were known to countries in Central and South Europe and to Ukraine’s Balkan friends.

The Russian invasion has dragged Europe into the worst security crisis in decades, he said.

Ukraine is under direct military attack by Russia while the rest of Europe is under indirect pressure, he said, adding that Russia’s goal was to cause as much chaos in Europe as possible.

The most natural way is to curb the aggressive Russia and to reinforce the support to Ukraine, notably military support, Kuleba said.

We want to and are capable of winning this war, we are grateful to everyone who helped, but military assistance is most important. In order to expedite Ukraine’s victory, it’s necessary to increase and expedite the delivery of high-precision heavy artillery, notably multiple rocket launchers, 155 mm howitzers, tanks and armoured vehicles, he added.

Kuleba called on all partners to deliver that assistance as soon as possible, saying it was vital. All other assistance is relevant only if we succeed in defending the country and defeating the enemy, he added.

He said the sanctions were working, were effective, and should be additionally tightened.

Kuleba went on to say that Russia’s attempts to destabilise parts of Europe began long before the invasion of Ukraine and that Moscow was using numerous tools, such as energy blackmail, meddling in internal affairs and elections, propaganda, destabilisation, corruption, cyber attacks and attempts to overthrow democratically elected governments.

The reason is simple, Putin wants to damage the well-being and stability of every member of the European family, he said. Together, we can tame Russia and its ability to export destruction and destabilisation, to cause suffering beyond its borders, he added.

That should be of the utmost importance to our partners in Central Europe and the Western Balkans. We are in the same boat. Support to Ukraine is not just a favour to Ukrainians but the most effective investment in our partners’ national security, Kuleba said.

He thanked Croatia and the other countries for advocating that Ukraine be granted EU candidate status, calling it an historic decision.

The result of the Russian aggression on Ukraine is that the EU and NATO are more united, and the EU and the US are united as strong as never before. We must keep that unity, Kuleba said.