On January 27, 2016 Ambassador of Ukraine to the U.S. Valeriy Chaly took part in the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) Mid-Level Political Meeting, which took place in Washington, DC.
The participants of this event – representatives of 70 nations of the world – acknowledged that proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and delivery of their systems remains a real threat to the international peace and security, especially following the nuclear test by North Korea. The delegations discussed the new WMD proliferation challenges and the ways to counter them. The participants stressed that the PSI remains an important tool to fight the illegal spread of WMD-related materials and components.
Thomas M. Countryman, Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation, who was chairing the meeting, read the message from President of the United States Barack Obama, who called on the PSI participating states to lead the international community in stopping trafficking of WMD and related materials. Deputy National Security Advisor Avril D. Haines delivered the keynote speech at the meeting.
Ukraine is PSI participating state since 2004 and coherently endorses the interdiction principles.