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Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech on International Volunteer Day

The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 5 December 2022.

Fellow Ukrainians!

Today is International Volunteer Day. International, yet so Ukrainian.

This is the day of millions of our people. Not hundreds, not thousands, but millions. This is the day of everyone who helps defend the state. Everyone who helps protect the people. All those who give their soul, time, and money for Ukraine and Ukrainians to succeed. To win.

The volunteer movement in our country rose in waves from Maidan, from 2014 and from February 24. The waves that were getting higher and stronger.

Today, volunteers are the most powerful part of Ukrainian civil society. This is a movement that unites all cities and communities of our country and all social groups.

And this is an idea that attracts millions of people from different countries of the world to the Ukrainian struggle for freedom.

Today is the day of very famous organizations, whose names every Ukrainian has heard, and the day of people whose names do not yet sound throughout the country, but who, together with everyone, will feel that this is their result on the day of our victory.

This is the day of Veteran Hub and Army SOS, “Zgraya” and “Aerorozvidka”, KSE Foundation and those who founded and help “Nebesna Gvardiya” project.

The day of “Hospitallers” and all paramedics and doctors who help at the front. This is the day of “Kryla Peremogy” and NGO “Zemliachky”, “Povernys Zhyvym” and “Motohelp” foundations, Serhiy Prytula Foundation and the Volunteer Hundred of Dobrovolia, “Kolo” and “Solomyanski Kotyky” foundations, the Marlog Center and the Ukrainian Volunteer Service, Razom for Ukraine, “Narodny Tyl” association, Help Army volunteer group and the Ukrainian Red Cross Society. This is the day of United24 and each of the more than a hundred countries who help us buy ambulances or naval drones. This is the day of star ambassadors who have also become volunteers and direct the power of the world for Ukraine.

Today is the day of Kharkiv “Pidtrymka Zakhysnykiv” Foundation and Lviv NGO “Nezalezhni”, the day of the Union of Ukrainian Women from the Ivano-Frankivsk region and the Kramatorsk Center “Razom do Peremohy”, “Angely Spasinnia” Foundation from the Donetsk region and NGO “Miskyi Tsentr Dopomohy” from Zaporizhzhia.

This is the day of SpivDiia and PLAST, NGO “Ridne Polissia”, the Active Rehabilitation Group, the Ukrainian Women’s Battalion, “Kotyky-Patriotyky” and “Dobra Sprava”, Let’s help, “Kharkiv z Toboyu” foundations, HopeUA, “Tvoya Opora”, “My z Ukrainoyu” and “Rayon Nomer 1”.

And also the day of Yevhen Subota, coordinator of volunteer centers in Hostomel. Ulyana Hredil from NGO “Apostolska Chota”. NGO “Zakhyst – Obyednannia Volonteriv”. Yulia Konovalova, head of NGO “Liudy Usiudy” and volunteer of the World Central Kitchen project. Volodymyr Firman, rector of Zarvanytsia Marian Spiritual Centre.

This is the day of the Ukrainian Catholic University and dozens of universities and student communities in our country and abroad, which have joined the defense of our state, freedom and people. And humanity.

That’s why today we thank organizations like Zoopatrol and UAnimals, and everyone who knows that saving animals is also saving souls.

You probably know most of these names, you may have already helped some of these organizations and projects. But the volunteer movement is much larger and broader. These are thousands of structures, tens of thousands of people who care and millions of those who join.

This is the day of those who were looking for bulletproof vests on Maidan and continued to look for and deliver everything that might be necessary for the frontline.

This is the day of those who make camouflage nets: Lviv, Rivne and thousands of other Ukrainian cities and villages, tens of thousands of people.

This is the day of ordinary Ukrainians who help us all solve very difficult tasks. They help restore the energy sector after strikes. Return normal life to the de-occupied territory.

This is the day of those who provide rehabilitation and prosthetics. Who provide psychological help. Who support displaced persons. Who help those released from captivity. Who bake bread for the military and deliver food to the most dangerous places.

This is the day of the drivers who helped with the evacuation and the delivery of the humanitarian aid. This is the day of many different people who all together strengthen Ukraine.

This is the day of thousands of Ukrainian businesses that made their projects to help the army and ordinary people or joined existing volunteer programs. And the day of businessmen who do everything to strengthen Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, not Monaco and Vienna.

Although the volunteer movement has become part of the foundation of Ukraine, we did not have a special award that could become a symbol of our gratitude to volunteers and those who give strength to this movement. Who give a part of their own life to help save the lives of others. Now there is such an award.

This is the heart. The heart of gold for the ordinary people who protect us all.

This year, we establish such an award. For those who really deserve it. Those whose hearts are of gold, and that is why they are volunteers.

Today I named 50 volunteer groups whose representatives will receive an award this year.

And every year we will celebrate volunteer projects, other organizations, and new personalities. People should know who provides this aid for Ukraine. People should know whose heart gives us such a result, for which Ukrainians are grateful.

Glory to everyone who helps our defense!

Glory to everyone who helps our volunteers!

Gratitude to everyone who is involved in the work of the volunteers!

And congratulations on Volunteer Day!

Glory to Ukraine!

11/12/2022
PRESS RELEASE : Today, the first ship within the “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian program delivered 25 thousand tons of Ukrainian wheat to Ethiopia [December 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 3 December 2022.

The first ship within the Ukrainian humanitarian program “Grain from Ukraine” arrived at the Port of Doraleh on December 3, delivering 25 thousand tons of Ukrainian wheat for Ethiopia.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian program on November 15, during the G20 summit.

On November 26, the initiative of the Head of State aimed at providing food aid to countries in Africa and Asia suffering from famine was officially launched at the founding International Summit on Food Security, within which more than 30 countries and international organizations joined the program.

A week has passed, and the program is already being implemented in practice.

In general, as part of the “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian initiative, our state plans to send more than 60 ships to Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Kenya, Yemen, etc.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Greece, Estonia, EU, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Qatar, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, USA, Türkiye, Hungary, Finland, France, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, NATO and the UN, other partners supported the Ukrainian program.

More than 180 million US dollars were allocated for its implementation.

The second ship, whose loading is being completed in the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk, will head to Ethiopia next week with 30,000 tons of wheat on board.

The third ship in the framework of the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “Grain from Ukraine” will deliver 25 thousand tons of humanitarian wheat to Somalia (loading in Odesa port).

11/12/2022
PRESS RELEASE : First Lady of Ukraine met with the King Charles III of the United Kingdom [December 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 1 December 2022.

During a visit to Great Britain, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska met with King Charles III.

Together they visited the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London, on the territory of which the Ukrainian Welcome Centre has been operating since August 2022 – a center of assistance to Ukrainian citizens who temporarily left their homeland due to Russian aggression, founded together with the Union of Ukrainians.

“It is not the first time that His Majesty finds time and kind words to support the forced migrants from Ukraine: recently he visited them in Scotland, even earlier – in Romania. During each meeting, I feel how British support is getting stronger, and together with it, the friendship between our countries,” the President’s wife said.

At the Ukrainian Welcome Centre, Olena Zelenska and Charles III talked with representatives of the Ukrainian community and temporary migrants, as well as with British families who have hosted Ukrainians. The First Lady emphasized that during all trips she meets compatriots who were forced to leave their homeland due to military aggression, learns about the conditions of their stay and the needs they have in a new country.

“Since Russia switched to energy terror tactics, we understand that this winter will be the hardest in all the years of independence. So I am grateful for the fact that at least part of Ukrainians, especially the elderly and children, are able to wait out the cold season without risking being in blackout conditions,” she said.

Olena Zelenska also visited the London School of Economics and met with students of several local universities – young people from Great Britain, France, other countries, as well as Ukrainian students who are pursuing higher education in London.

During the meeting, she spoke about Ukraine’s struggle against Russian invaders and the ordeals that its citizens are going through. She emphasized that Ukrainian students now have to fight for the right to knowledge every day, study in bomb shelters and in conditions of power outages due to Russian shelling of critical infrastructure.

“Our life in five, ten, twenty years depends on the Ukrainian, British and global youth. It will determine which way our countries will go, whether there will be peace or chaos around. Whether they will violate human rights, as Russia is doing now, or, on the contrary, will it be possible to put any aggressor in its place. We in Ukraine know how difficult it is to live in a history textbook. And at the same time, it is an opportunity to inscribe humanity, support and value of human life there,” the First Lady emphasized during her speech.

11/12/2022
Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech at Day of Employees of Prosecution Bodies of Ukraine

The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 1 December 2022.

Dear employees of the prosecution bodies of Ukraine!

Every year you hear approximately the same words on your professional day. Those are: order and judiciary, rule of law and legality, protection of human rights and freedoms, protection of the interests of the state and society. All these and other similar words, when they are combined, in total, give one thing – justice.

And justice is not only a vitally needed feeling, not only such a state of affairs in the country, without which life is not defined as full by the people. Justice is also a weapon.

It is an effective weapon of deterrence.

When society has such a weapon, people are protected from many manifestations of crime. Because justice deprives crime of its energy, preventing its possible outbreaks and guaranteeing the inevitability of punishment.

When justice is not just for one nation but is present in international relations in general, the world is reliably protected – protected from aggression. Because justice at the international level means that anyone who becomes an aggressor and starts a criminal war will not only be punished for it but also compensate for all the damages caused by their aggression.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is you who, together with other law enforcement officers, create this weapon for Ukraine and form a reliable basis for its use. And this year it became obvious that this task is not only about Ukraine. This task is global. Because justice for Ukraine is equal to justice for the world.

To ensure that such a war, which Russia started against us, would never happen again, all Russian murderers and executioners, all their accomplices, all Russian marauders and war propagandists, as well as all authors of Russian genocidal policy, must be brought to justice. Those who planned and launched the aggression. Those who approve and organize the terror against our cities and the deportation of our people.

Almost 50 thousand crimes against peace, human security and international legal order committed as a result of Russian aggression have already been documented. Our law enforcement agencies are assisted by leading experts from various partner countries in the painstaking work of collecting evidence and establishing the circumstances of the atrocities committed by the Russian occupiers. Substantive cooperation with the International Criminal Court has been established, and the opening of the ICC field office in Ukraine is being prepared. I thank everyone who works for such investigations!

And we will have one hundred percent justice when we are sure that the top Russian political and military leadership will be brought to justice. That is why the Office of the President of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General and all other relevant institutions of Ukraine pay so much attention to the establishment of the Tribunal on the Russian crime of aggression against Ukraine. The Tribunal, which will complement our national legal capabilities and the existing potential of the International Criminal Court. The Tribunal, which will make it possible to bring to justice the authors of the aggression.

And I believe that the work of Ukrainian prosecutors, inter alia, will be put at the heart of an indictment in the Special Tribunal on the aggression. So, please do your best and always remember that justice must be the result of all our efforts. Right now, right here in Ukraine, we are gaining justice for the whole of Europe and many nations of the world.

I congratulate you on your professional holiday!

Glory to Ukraine!

11/12/2022
PRESS RELEASE : First Lady Olena Zelenska addressed the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [November 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 29 November 2022.

As part of her visit to Great Britain, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska spoke before the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In her speech, the President’s wife compared the bombing of Ukraine by the Russian aggressor to the bombing of Great Britain by the Nazis during World War II.

“You didn’t give up. We will not give up. But we need more than just victory. We need justice. I came to you precisely for this – for justice, with which this war should end just as that war ended. It was impossible to imagine that after all the crimes of the Nazis they would be left unpunished. We can’t imagine it either. In the same way, we strive for justice for our people, against whom Russian missile raids are targeted,” the First Lady said.

During her speech, Olena Zelenska showed footage of Ukrainian cities during blackout as a result of Russian shelling and photos of people who are forced to look for electricity and heat. In particular, she showed a photo of a girl whose parents brought her to a gas station in Kyiv to be able to turn on her inhaler.

Separately, the President’s wife focused on the facts of numerous rapes of Ukrainians by the Russian invaders. This topic was the focus of her speech yesterday at the PSVI Conference on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.

“Everywhere in the liberated cities and communities, after the retreat of the Russian army, torture chambers arranged by the occupiers are found. Thousands of their crimes have been documented, including crimes of sexual violence. We know that the youngest girl who was raped by the Russian occupiers is four years old. The oldest victim is 85 years old. These are established victims. And how many of those we don’t know about yet?” added Olena Zelenska.

The First Lady called on the British parliament and the government to lead a global effort to establish a Special Tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine. In particular, to promote the adoption of the resolution of the UN General Assembly prepared by Ukraine on the creation of a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression of the Russian Federation against our country – by analogy with the Declaration of St James’s Palace of the Second World War, when a document was signed on January 13, 1942, which recorded the will to prosecute all those guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes against peace. The Nuremberg trials were subsequently held on this basis.

“Today I am asking you to become a world leader of justice. For Ukraine, but also for the world! Because justice is needed not only by us and all our victims. It is needed so that the world continues to live according to the values of humanism, not the right of the strong, as the invader would like. Justice is needed for the whole world to survive,” the President’s wife emphasized.

After the speech, the First Lady held a meeting with Speaker of the House of Commons of the British Parliament Lindsay Hoyle, during which she thanked for the invitation and assured that Ukraine highly appreciates both the personal position of the Speaker of the House of Commons, who strongly condemns Russian aggression, and the constant strong support from British MPs.

11/12/2022
Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech on Holding of Expo 2030 in Odesa

The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 29 November 2022.

Mr. President!

Mr. Secretary General!

Ladies and Gentlemen!

I am honoured to present Ukraine’s candidate for hosting World’s Fair 2030. To present Odesa – and the entire Black Sea region.

Why Odesa? Why Ukraine? Why the Black Sea?

This year, Ukraine has become the world’s role model of bravery. Billions of people from every continent could see what Ukrainian invincibility means, why Russian terror will not achieve its goal.

And they will see how Ukraine becomes a role model of reconstruction. Neither winter cold, nor darkness nor other manifestations of terror will help Russia conquer Ukrainians.

The time of Ukrainian victory shall come. And then…

The reconstruction of our country will become the most momentous economic, technological, and humanitarian project of our time.

Even now, we engage dozens of our partner countries to rebuild Ukraine.

The total volume of work amounts to over a trillion dollars.

Even now, we create a special patronage system.

The system will enable leading countries and companies to take patronage over the reconstruction of Ukrainian regions, cities, industries, and enterprises. Not just to recover them but to show that a free world and conscious countries are always more powerful than any tyranny and aggression.

We can already see the interest in patronage from France and Great Britain, the Netherlands and Germany, Denmark and Finland, Italy and Türkiye, Poland and Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovenia, Latvia and Estonia, Switzerland and Slovakia, Austria and Greece, Canada and the United States of America, Japan and Australia. And this is not a full list of the countries.

In 2030, Ukrainian reconstruction will have already shown a significant part of the projected results, and Ukraine will be the country to demonstrate what humanity is capable of when all peoples cooperate for peace and security, for development, and a more comfortable future for all.

And this is, by the way, a fundamental meaning behind the World’s Fairs.

So, the reality of our country and the spirit of the World’s Fairs will ally. Specifically in Ukraine, specifically in 2030.

Even now, we have already proved that the Black Sea region is one of the key guarantors of the world’s stability.

Our Odesa is that big port that ensures the social well-being of dozens of countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

This year, we have proved it with our Grain Export Initiative.

We will solidify it with another international humanitarian project “Grain From Ukraine”. It will help recover food security in the poorest countries that are balancing at the edge of famine and destabilization – Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen, and others. These and many other countries will be widely aware of why Odesa and the Black Sea are so significant. We will save millions of people – Odesa will save millions of people thanks to the work of its ports.

We are already integrating Ukraine into the European Union. We have already become a part of the EU Single Market. We will become a part of the EU institutions. We have already joined the EU Single Energy System. We will become those whose potential in “green” energy will replace dirty Russian fossil fuel for Europe. We have already helped Europe to overcome many internal controversies and actually unite – unite in its actions. Enhanced by Ukraine, Europe will become a truly independent and really solid global player.

2030 is the time when we will be able to celebrate it. To celebrate it together with all Europeans.

Is it fair that the World’s Fairs have never been hosted in this part of Europe? Many world regions have already been represented. Europe had the honour to host the World’s Fairs in different years. But not the East of Europe.

We should change it. And Odesa will be a perfect place to do it.

The city that through the centuries has been tied economically and culturally with Türkiye and Romania, Georgia and Bulgaria, Moldova and other countries of our region as well as many world’s regions.

The city that has always been multinational and multicultural – the city of diversity.

The city that may host the World’s Fair for the first time but has been connected with the world for centuries.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

When you visit Ukraine and our Odesa in 2030, you will sense the power, freedom, and culture of not just one country and one city. You will experience the potential of the entire humanity.

That is why it is 2030. That is why it is Odesa, Ukraine, and the Black Sea. That is why it is the World’s Fair.

May the victory of freedom and our striving for peace become widely seen!

Thank you for your attention!

Glory to Ukraine!

11/12/2022
PRESS RELEASE : Only a special international tribunal for the crime of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine will make it possible to restore justice and punish all the guilty – Andriy Yermak [November 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 28 November 2022.

Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak emphasizes that it is the special international tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, the creation of which our state is calling for, that will make it possible to restore justice and punish all those guilty of the terrible crimes caused by the largest war in Europe since World War II.

He stated this during an online speech at the conference “Possible Scenarios for the Prosecution of Russia for the Crime of Aggression”, which takes place in Paris with the participation of members of the working group on the creation of a special international tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

Andriy Yermak noted that, according to official data of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, during Russia’s full-scale war against our country, more than 47,900 war crimes were committed and more than 8,400 civilians died, including 440 children. 46,000 houses and tens of thousands of civil infrastructure objects were destroyed. Among other things, 1,400 institutions for children were destroyed. 11,400 young Ukrainians were forcibly taken out of the country.

“The atrocities we are facing are shocking. When our law enforcement agencies conducted an exhumation in Izyum, they found a minor girl who was first raped and then brutally killed. They found a boy whose genitals were cut off before execution. We discover such terrible things every time we liberate a new settlement,” said the Head of the Office of the President.

Andriy Yermak emphasized that behind all crimes there is one biggest crime – the so-called mother crime of aggression, without the investigation of which and the punishment of the guilty the truth will never be achieved.

“There is no doubt that Russia bears full responsibility for what was committed. Russian soldiers and their commanders who committed war crimes will be brought to justice. However, this is not enough. Russian officials must be brought to criminal responsibility for the crime of aggression,” he is convinced.

For his part, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Andriy Smyrnov said that after analyzing all available international mechanisms, it became clear that there was a high risk that no one would be prosecuted for the crime of aggression unless a special international tribunal was created, which would only investigate the crime of aggression against of Ukraine.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, which investigates the crimes of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, does not have sufficient jurisdictional powers.

“During the eight months of the war in Ukraine, not a single proceeding related to the crime of aggression was registered at the ICC due to objective reasons,” he noted.

For the purposes of the special international tribunal, the system of punishments used in the International Criminal Court may be used. The punishment for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, after it has been proven, may include imprisonment for a term of up to 30 years or life imprisonment.

As noted by Andriy Yermak, a special international tribunal can be created by signing an agreement between states willing to join it or based on Ukraine’s agreement with an international organization.

The Head of the President’s Office reminded that the creation of a special international tribunal was supported by the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe, the OSCE and NATO, the parliaments of Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, but in the end, the decision of a significant number of countries that would like to join the creation of such a tribunal is needed.

“This is an issue for the whole world. If we do not follow these principles, are we prepared for the fact that one day some dictator will announce his territorial claims to some country? Are we ready for new hybrid wars waged by rulers detached from reality? Will you agree to international blackmail and terror, to the truth distorted by propaganda? Are you ready to accept the death of tens of thousands of innocent people, including many women and children? If not, support the creation of our tribunal! Everyone to the extent that depends on you,” Andriy Yermak urged.

11/12/2022
PRESS RELEASE : Foreign partners continue to join the “Grain from Ukraine” initiative of the President [November 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 28 November 2022.

As part of the Grain from Ukraine humanitarian program launched by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on November 26 during the founding International Summit on Food Security, more than 30 countries and international organizations have already declared their support for this important project.

Japan and the Republic of Korea announced joining the initiative by providing financial assistance.

In particular, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Greece, Estonia, the EU, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Qatar, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, USA, Türkiye, Hungary, Finland, France, Croatia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, as well as NATO and the UN announced the financial, technical or logistical contribution to the initiative.

In total, more than 180 million U.S. dollars have already been accumulated within the program.

The collected funds will be used to supply Ukrainian food to countries in Africa and Asia that suffer from famine the most.

The Grain from Ukraine initiative remains open for other countries to join during the entire period of its work.

Ukraine, together with its partners, will continue to make efforts to expand the circle of project participants.

Together, we demonstrate that the elements of the Ukrainian Peace Formula, one of which is global food security, are rational and effective, and they can and should be implemented in the interests of Ukraine and the whole world.

11/12/2022
PRESS RELEASE : President held a meeting with the foreign ministers of the seven Baltic and Northern European states [November 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 28 November 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Estonia – Urmas Reinsalu, Iceland – Þórdís Kolbrún R. Gylfadóttir, Latvia – Edgars Rinkēvičs, Lithuania – Gabrielius Landsbergis, Norway – Anniken Huitfeldt, Finland – Pekka Haavisto and Sweden – Tobias Billström.

The Head of State noted that the joint visit of the foreign ministers of the seven Baltic and Northern European states is an important signal of strong support and solidarity of the partner countries with Ukraine, especially in times of the most serious challenges.

“Probably, this is the first time we are hosting you in Ukraine in such a broad composition. We do it with pleasure. We are extremely glad that you are on the side of the truth, on the bright side in this war – on the side of Ukraine and our struggle for independence and freedom,” stressed Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The President of Ukraine thanked the Baltic and Northern European countries for their consistently active and effective support to our state in protecting its territorial integrity and independence.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted, in particular, the significant defense, financial and humanitarian assistance of the Baltic and Northern European partners in the face of Russia’s full-scale armed aggression.

“We especially appreciate the support for the strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, medical aid and rehabilitation of our wounded, conducting educational and training missions, which are so important for the Ukrainian military, and support for the forced migrants from Ukraine who went abroad because of the war,” the President emphasized.

The Head of State drew special attention to the challenges of the winter period and Russia’s terror aimed at the civilian energy sector. In this regard, the critical need to provide Ukraine with modern anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems and the need for urgent support of our country’s energy system was separately noted.

The parties emphasized the importance of further increasing sanctions pressure on Russia, as well as coordinated work on the creation of a Special Tribunal to investigate the crime of Russian aggression and a mechanism of compensation for damages caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the partners for their firm support for Ukraine’s European integration aspirations, in particular with the aim of starting negotiations on joining the European Union as soon as possible, and also noted the importance of further assistance in the implementation of our country’s strategic course towards NATO membership.

The President of Ukraine emphasized the importance of the participation of the relevant states in the implementation of the Ukrainian humanitarian initiative Grain from Ukraine and the important role of the financial contribution of each partner to ensuring food security in the world.

11/12/2022
PRESS RELEASE : Joint Statement following the inaugural International Summit on Food Security [November 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 26 November 2022.

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food.

We strongly believe that this right, not a privilege, is inalienable for all people, for all countries along with the right to life and liberty. Every country must be reliably protected from famine.

At the same time, any state that provokes famine and tries to make access to food a privilege must face the toughest reaction from the world.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the world market has received 10 million tonnes of agricultural products less than in the same period last year. This means that the food security of millions of people around the world is seriously threatened.

These are just the initial consequences of the Russian blockade of the Ukrainian ports and Russia’s attempts to use missile strikes to prevent Ukraine from building new export logistics. Moscow’s actions deserve strong condemnation and must result in bringing those responsible to account.

However, even in such conditions, Ukraine in cooperation with international partners is actively engaged in search for ways to provide agricultural products to those in need. In particular, by supporting Somalia, Ethiopia, the Republic of the Sudan, Yemen, Kenya and Nigeria, and continuing grain exports to Africa, Asia, Europe, and the American continent.

Ukraine has always been and remains a reliable contributor to global food supplies and partner of the UN World Food Programme, supporting, in the spirit of global solidarity, efforts aimed at achieving food security and improved nutrition throughout the world.

Taking into consideration that approximately 70 million socially unprotected people, particularly from Africa and Asia, are at risk of hunger according to the UN statistics,

noting the fact of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which will cause food insecurity for millions of people around the world, with Africa suffering the most,

pointing out the deliberate months-long blockade of Ukraine’s ports by Russia, which has put hundreds of millions of people around the world on the verge of hunger, as well as Russia’s repeated attempts to block the Black Sea Grain Initiative to continue blackmailing the world with interrupting the food supplies to achieve its aggressive and revisionist aims, emphasizing the role of Ukraine as an essential guarantor to the global food security and the effective operation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has sent more than 10 million tonnes of grain worldwide, including the countries that were most affected by hunger,

We underscore the necessity to act persistently and in coordination to achieve the goals of the 2021 Food Systems Summit, as well as to respond to immediate humanitarian needs and build more resilient agriculture and food systems.

We recall the United Nations General Assembly resolution “State of Global Food Insecurity” adopted on 23 May 2022 that called on the international community to urgently support countries affected by the food security crisis through coordinated action.

We welcome the initiative of the Secretary-General to establish a Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy, and Finance; and call upon Member States and other relevant stakeholders to support the functioning of food, agriculture supply chains and keep trade channels and markets open for the deliveries of food.

We welcome the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes, which have facilitated the export of over 17 million tonnes of Ukrainian agricultural goods since May by road, rail and through Black Sea and Danube ports. Together, the Solidarity Lanes and the Black Sea grain initiative have taken more than 28 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain, oilseeds and related products to world markets, including to the countries most in need. We welcome the further boosting of the Solidarity Lanes by the European Commission, working with partner Financial Institutions (the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the World Bank), which have mobilised EUR 1 billion of additional funding.

We condemn Russia’s aggression aimed at the destruction of the civil infrastructure of Ukraine and global food security.

We strongly urge the Russian Federation to stop its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine and to restore its territorial integrity by fully withdrawing all military units from entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

We call for support of attempts of Ukraine, Türkiye, and the UN to prolong the Black Sea Grain Initiative and continue to provide food supplies for the countries that are most affected by hunger.

We welcome continuous joint efforts of the international community to prioritize global food security and to support multilateral efforts in finding acceptable solutions to the crisis.

With this aim, today we support the initiative of Ukraine and we are launching the Humanitarian Program “Grain from Ukraine” which will establish the framework to deliver Ukrainian food to the countries of Africa and Asia, which are most affected by hunger.

We set an ambitious and important goal for ourselves and invite other states and socially responsible businesses to support the implementation of this Humanitarian Program, particularly by financing the shipment of grain for the needs of Africa and Asia.

We are convinced that we will jointly overcome the grave humanitarian and economic consequences of the global food crisis caused by Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine.

11/12/2022