Ukrainian President: Ukraine will Implement New Strategy in Black Sea

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that his country plans to limit Russian influence in the western part of the Black Sea, through a new national maritime strategy. On Saturday night, Zelenskyy said in a video speech: "We understand clearly that the war has altered the power dynamics across our entire Black Sea region, and that the Russian fleet will never dominate these waters again." "From now on, Ukraine will always stand as a nation capable of defending its own maritime interests, transportation arteries, and the interests of our allies and partners," he pointed out. On the other hand, Zelenskyy promised to continue improving Ukrainian air defense, hinting that his country would receive another Patriot unit from Germany and more reinforcements next week. Russia seized a large part of the Ukrainian naval fleet when it annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Ukraine lost more ships shortly after the start of the war in 2022 when Russian forces captured the coastal city of Berdyansk in the Z aporizhzhia Oblast in southern Ukraine. The Ukrainian frigate Hetman Sahaidachny was sunk in Mykolaiv. Although the Ukrainian Navy does not currently possess any large warships, Ukraine has succeeded in expelling the Russian Black Sea Fleet from the western part of the sea. This progress has partially revitalized maritime trade via Odesa. The Ukrainian Navy is also scheduled to be modernized in the near future with supplies from Western partners. Source: Qatar News Agency