Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky secured further support for his peace plan from the participants at the Ukraine South-East Europe Summit hosted in Albania's capital Tirana on Wednesday.
"Russia’s unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine remains the greatest threat to the European security and international peace," the joint declaration published on Wednesday said.
The declaration was also signed by pro-Russian Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
The parties also pledged to take part in a peace summit planned by Kiev in Switzerland in the spring. The aim is to discuss the implementation of the peace plan proposed by Zelensky in 2022. His plan is based on the complete withdrawal of Russian troops, reparations and trials for war crimes.
"We strongly condemn the intentions of the Russian Federation to hold presidential elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which represents a blatant violation of international law," the parties continued in the declaration.
Russia is due to hold its presidential election on March 15-17. Voting will also take place in the regions of Ukraine that Russia annexed in violation of international law: Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhya, annexed in September 2022, and Crimea, annexed in March 2014.
Another term for the incumbent, Vladimir Putin, is a foregone conclusion.
Among the signatories to the declaration in Tirana were the presidents of Kosovo, Moldova, North Macedonia and the heads of government of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania.
