Ukraine is planning to push back Russian influence in the western part of the Black Sea through a new national maritime strategy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his daily video address on Saturday evening.
"We clearly understand that the war has changed the balance of power in our Black Sea region and that the Russian fleet will never again dominate these waters," Zelensky said.
Ukraine will pursue its own national interests at sea and those of its partners and protect transport routes, he said.
Russia took possession of a large part of the Ukrainian fleet when it illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. Ukraine lost further ships shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, when Moscow's forces captured the port city of Berdyansk in the Zaporizhzhya region of southern Ukraine.
The flagship of the Ukrainian navy, the Hetman Zahaidachnyi, was sunk in Mykolaiv.
Even though the Ukrainian navy does not currently have any large warships, Kiev has succeeded in driving the Russian Black Sea Fleet out of the western part of the Black Sea.
This progress has partially revitalized maritime trade via Odessa. The Ukrainian navy is also to be upgraded in the near future with supplies from Western partners.
Alongside strengthening its own naval power, Zelensky also promised to further improve its air defence and hinted at another Patriot unit from Germany and further reinforcements in the coming week.