On 15 October, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa delivered an online address at the semi-annual strategic session of Ukraine Communications Group (UCG), held in The Hague, the Netherlands. Alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, representatives of 14 institutions took part in the meeting, including foreign ministries of European countries and Canada, as well as the EU and NATO.

At the beginning of her remarks, Mariana Betsa stressed the importance of sustaining international support for Ukraine amid Russia’s deliberate attacks on civilian and critical infrastructure, including energy, heating and water supply systems in Ukrainian cities. The Deputy Minister underscored the critical importance of ensuring accountability of the aggressor state for the crimes it has committed.

Mariana Betsa thanked Ukraine Communications Group for supporting Ukraine’s initiatives and projects: “UCG serves as a practical platform for developing joint approaches to countering Russian disinformation and propaganda across different regions of the world. It has also become an excellent example of what we can achieve through joint efforts in the field of strategic communications,” the diplomat emphasised.

Deputy Minister highlighted the effectiveness of projects and initiatives implemented both with the support of the UCG and through bilateral cooperation with Group members. These include visits of foreign journalists to Ukraine, communication campaigns, creative projects, and exchanges of expertise.

Mariana Betsa also noted that an important component of this work is the consistent strengthening of Ukraine’s communications presence globally, particularly in regions where Russian propaganda remains influential. In this context, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to develop regional communication strategies.

In addition to the existing communication strategies for Africa and for Latin America and the Caribbean, in 2026 the Ministry presented for the first time its Communication Strategy “Ukraine – Southeast Asia”. This year also saw the update of two key strategic documents of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: the Communication Strategy for 2026–2030 and the Public Diplomacy Strategy for 2026–2030.