Dear Chairpersons,

We are grateful for your efforts in promptly and efficiently responding to our concerns shared by many participating States regarding the ongoing unusual military activity of the Russian Federation. I wish to lend my words of gratitude to the Permanent Council and the Forum for Security Co-operation chairpersonships for convening this meeting at the request of Ukraine.

Allow me also to take a moment to congratulate Armenia with assuming the responsible task of chairing the Forum in the second trimester of this year and wish the Armenian side every success on this path.

Let me briefly outline the steps undertaken by Ukraine in applying relevant measures foreseen by the Vienna Document 2011 to dispel concerns over unusual large-scale military activity of the Russian Federation.

On 7 April, by sending notification format to the Russian Federation and all participating States, Ukraine activated “Mechanism for consultation and cooperation as regards unusual military activities” under Chapter III. Our concern is based on large-scale military build-up of Russia in close vicinity to our borders and in the temporarily occupied Crimea amid Russia-led escalation of violence in Donbas.

Response provided by the Russian Federation on 9 April was clearly unsatisfactory. It did not provide any sufficient information on the parameters of the activity to dispel concerns of Ukraine and was very formal in substance. Therefore, we proceeded with the next step stipulated by Chapter III and requested a meeting with the Russian Federation and other interested participating States.

Consultations were held on 10 April engaging 39 participating States. The Russian Federation opted not to participate in them. Upon the results of the consultations, it was made abundantly clear that the majority of participating States take very seriously recent Russia’s military activities along the border with Ukraine and in the temporarily occupied Crimea. We are grateful for a detailed report prepared by the Swedish OSCE Chairpersonship distributed among all participating States shortly after the meeting.

Given the reluctance of the Russian side to engage in a meaningful dialogue and dispel concerns of Ukraine and many other participating States, we approached the OSCE Chairpersonship to initiate this joint meeting.

The decision of Ukraine to activate the mechanisms under Chapter III was based on a thorough assessment of security situation near our border with the Russian Federation and on the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the territorial waters of Ukraine.

According to our information, the command of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is increasing its presence near the state border of Ukraine by moving certain military commands and units from the Western, Southern and Central Military Districts, airborne troops, and the Northern Fleet. This activity is accompanied by intensive military trainings for offensive operations.

In addition to 28 battalion tactical groups already deployed on a permanent basis near the border with Ukraine, the Russian leadership plans to move even more forces to this area from their normal peacetime locations. Preparations to deploy 12 battalion size tactical groups; 4 mission tailored artillery units; two special operation detachments; one missile air defense unit; one Electronic Warfare tactical group; 8 short-range ballistic missile systems “Iskander”; up to 80 main battle tanks; over 500 armored combat vehicles; and more that 100 artillery systems, including 22 Multiple-Launch Rocket platforms, are underway. Russia continues to flood the temporarily occupied Crimea with even more weapons, military equipment and troops, stationed there without the host nation consent.

Russia has increased its military footprint on the peninsula by additionally deploying 13 battalion size tactical groups, 5 mission tailored artillery units, including 6 short-range ballistic missile systems “Iskander”, one special operation detachment, one Electronic Warfare tactical group, as well as brigade size helicopter tactical unit.

Following these activities Russia increased its military strength in Crimea up to 42.000 troops integrated in joint striking formation capable to employ the entire range of kinetic systems for offensive combat operation. It has also reinforced the air component on the peninsula with additional bombers, assault, fighter and close aviation support. Major airfields on the peninsula (Hvardiyske and Belbek) are currently suitable for operating strategic long-range bombers.

Apart from that, we can observe an increase in the intensity of offensive combat training exercises in the temporarily occupied Crimea and adjacent territorial waters. New forms and methods of the use of force are introduced. In particular, they include trainings of massive air strikes involving more than 100 aircraft and about 60 helicopters being in the air at the same time, simultaneously using naval, air and coastal missile carriers, and simulating air strikes on surface ships. New modernized types of missile, torpedo and electronic weapons are being actively tested in the Black Sea.

Ukraine considers the aforementioned activities, concentration of forces and means by Russia as military significant. Taking into account these alarming developments, we cannot rule out a possibility that the Russian forces in Crimea and/or in the vicinity of our border could resort to serious military provocations in the course of this year.

Ukraine has a bitter experience of 2014 when Russia failed to clarify real reasons for stationing of its Armed Forces alongside the borders with Ukraine or refused to participate in relevant consultations and official meetings on the matter. The reason of such behavior was made clear in the course of events which followed. Russia prepared the ground for occupation of Ukrainian Crimea and parts of Donbas by unleashing armed aggression against Ukraine.

We concur with many views and assessments expressed by the delegations during the consultations held on 10 April. Our dialogue yielded important questions addressed to the Russian Federation which when fully answered may reduce tensions and dispel some of our concerns regarding its military activities. We urge the Russian side to carefully consider the report upon the outcomes of the consultations, diligently prepared by the Swedish Chairpersonship, and come up with clear and comprehensive answers to the questions contained therein in the shortest term.

We believe it would be expedient to compile all recommendations expressed by the delegations in the course of this meeting as well as questions raised at the consultations on 10 April and address them to the Russian Federation. We invite the Swedish Chairpersonship to give due consideration to this proposal.

If the Russian Federation is genuinely interested in rebuilding transparency, predictability and confidence and ensuring politico-military stability in the OSCE region and doesn’t nurture intentions of expanding its armed aggression against Ukraine, it will promptly give its responses and take into account the recommendations expressed today.

Having said that, we are, however, convinced that the most efficient way to dispel our concerns remains immediate withdrawal by Russia of its troops from the border with Ukraine and from the temporarily occupied Crimean Peninsula, abandonment of its belligerent rhetoric, threats of the use of force and disinformation campaign against Ukraine, fulfillment in good faith of security provisions of the Minsk agreements and its commitments under the Vienna Document.

I request for this statement to be attached to the journal of the day.

І thank you.