STATEMENT BY THE DELEGATION OF UKRAINE As delivered by Ms Viktoria Kuvshynnykova, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna 1574 th meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council Agenda Item, “Review of Current Issues” (23 July 2026) Mr Chairperson, We share the concerns over the the deterioration of the regional security situation in the Black Sea and the Russian Federation bears full responsibility for that. Russia brought death and terror to the Black Sea region, while starting its war of aggression against Ukraine with the temporarily occupation of Crimea in 2014. It purposely blocks freedom of navigation in the region. It m ilitarizes Black Sea, using it in its full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. Let me reiterate that Ukraine never wanted this war to happen. We are forced to defend our freedom against brutal aggression, imposed on us by the Russian Federation. Kazakhstan, its citizens, its infrastructure, and its economic interests have never been, and are not, considered military targets by Ukraine. Any attacks against the infrastructure of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium or other economic and energy facilities of Kazakhstan are not in Ukraine's interest. The armed forces of Ukraine attack only legitimate targets both on the territory of the Russian Federation and on the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. These include military personnel and equipment of the aggressor-state, its military bases and enterprises of the military-industrial complex, as well as facilities which are being used to support Russian war machine in killing Ukrainians. We are not targeting civilian infrastructure or residential areas – like Russians do in their massive ballistic and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities. Contrary to Russia, we have never implemented any actions which could threaten global security or interests of other states concerning nuclear, energy or food security. PC.DEL/790/26 24 July 2026 ENGLISH only The OSCE Secretariat bears no responsibility for the content of this document and circulates it without altering its content. The distribution by OSCE Conference Services of this document is without prejudice to OSCE decisions, as set out in documents agreed by OSCE participating States.
2 On 14 July, Russia attacked two merchant vessels sailing through the Black Sea maritime corridor under the flags of Tanzania and Liberia. The strike killed the captain of one of the vessels and injured 3 crew members. On the evening of the same day 2 people were killed on board of the Marshal Islands-flagged vessel, which was hit by Russians. On 17 July, a Russian strike in Odesa region damaged the bulk carrier Venturo, killing one person and forcing the evacuation of 17 crew members. On 19 July, a Russian attack on a merchant vessel flying the flag of Guinea-Bissau near Odesa killed 10 people. Russia is holding global food security hostage, trying to block Ukraine’s Black Sea maritime corridor right at peak harvest. This is deliberate economic and humanitarian terror. The only effective way to achieve this and prevent further escalation is to collectively force Russia to stop its aggression, marked in particular by its actions undermining the freedom and safety of navigation in the Black Sea. Thank you, Mr Chairperson.