Category: Attack on Ukraine

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech on Holding of Expo 2030 in Odesa

    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!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech at the International Summit оn Food Security under Grain from Ukraine Programme

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech at the International Summit оn Food Security under Grain from Ukraine Programme

    The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 26 November 2022.

    Dear attendees!

    It is a great honor to have you here with us today

    Ladies and Gentlemen!

    I welcome you to our capital, the city of Kyiv, to this special event for us, which is dedicated to a special initiative and takes place on such a special day for our state, for Ukraine.

    Every year, on the last Saturday in November, we honor the memory of millions of people. Millions of tortured and murdered Ukrainians. Women, men, elderly people. Millions of children. Millions of victims of famine. In 1921, 1922, 1923, 1946, 1947, and the darkest years – 1932-1933. Today is the 90th anniversary of the genocide committed against us by the totalitarian Stalinist regime. Different historians call different numbers of victims, but either way, all of them are shocking. From four to eight million perished Ukrainians.

    We remember how it is when they want to destroy your people.

    Almost every family has been affected in one way or another. Almost everyone among us has someone in the National Memory Book of victims. We remember the stories of those who managed to survive these horrors, truly vivid memories. How they take away everything. How you can be shot for a hidden bowl of grain or flour. How a large family shares a loaf of bread for a week. How it is a soup from two rotten potatoes to eat the whole day. How in the morning there is no strength to even live and open your eyes. How it is hard to fall asleep at night because you just want to eat. How exhausted people fall dead on the road. And others are too exhausted to take and bury their bodies. How whole families die, how streets wound up dead, how villages perish.

    How in already independent Ukraine, even in the new millennium, our grandparents, who survived the Holodomor, treated food with respect. How carefully they gathered the crumbs that remained on the table after dinner into a handful. How they said: there were times in childhood when we dreamed of a piece of bread or a plate of borscht.

    Such terrible memories. We know about it. We remember that. We have to! And we see what is happening today in the world, what is happening in Ukraine. They want to destroy us again with bombs, bullets, cold, and again with hunger.

    On February 24, Russia started a full-scale war against our society, the people of Ukraine, against our state. The occupation and the blockade left thousands of people without food and water from the very beginning.

    We will not allow millions of people in the world to be left without food and water. We remember how it used to be. Unfortunately, we know how it happens today. We won’t make it happen tomorrow. Neither here, nor in any country of the world on the entire planet.

    Our flag is a blue sky and a golden wheat field. Our land has always given generous fruits. Our country has always shared these fruits with the whole world. Ukraine is traditionally one of the largest exporters of food to different countries of the world on different continents. Our wheat was highly valued in Africa and the Middle East. Dairy products, vegetables, fruits, corn – in Europe. Sunflower oil was on shelves all over the world.

    This year, unfortunately, is different. Russian troops surrounded Ukrainian ports. They blocked the export of our food. They put the world on the brink of starvation. They provoked a food crisis. The rapid increase in the price of products undermines the economic security of ordinary people, the well-being of millions of families, domestic stability and regional security. Mass protests due to rising food, fertilizer, and fuel prices threaten many countries and societies.

    We must prevent the further spread of this crisis and this global challenge.

    Ukraine, as one of the guarantors of global food security, will continue making its key contribution. Despite the war. Despite any challenges. Despite the obstacles. Despite the attempt to destroy us. Ukraine will fulfill its export obligations regarding the supply of grain and other foodstuffs to the global market. Ukraine is a fighter for life, its own and that of other peoples. Life without slavery and hunger.

    The first practical proof of this was the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The export of Ukrainian food was unblocked. To date, almost 500 vessels have left our ports. This is 12 million tonnes of foodstuffs for 40 countries of the world. And for all societies, because when we talk about continents and states, first of all, we are talking about people. In particular, those suffering from the food crisis, who found themselves on the brink of this challenge – on the brink of starvation.

    However, the Grain Initiative, unfortunately, still operates not at its full capacity. Russia is trying to delay the movement of vessels. There are more than 80 ships in line in the Bosphorus. We advocate an increase in the number of ports and the indefinite continuation of this important initiative. So that Russia does not block it again. Again and again.

    At the same time, it is obvious that today even the full functioning of the grain corridor is insufficient to meet food needs. Especially of those countries that are in acute danger of hunger. To overcome this and food threats in general, Ukraine has organized this event. This is the first such event – the International Summit on Food Security. Here I want to announce and tell you about our new international initiative, supported by you, colleagues, and we are very grateful to you – Grain from Ukraine. Within its framework, Ukrainian food will be sent to countries in Africa and Asia.

    Our goal is ambitious and specific – to save at least 5 million people from hunger. On this path, Ukraine has already taken the first steps – sent the first ships. In the middle of November – 27,000 tonnes of wheat for Ethiopia. Another vessel is being loaded today. And this is another 30,000 tonnes of wheat for people in Ethiopia. Three more vessels are currently going to the ports of Ukraine for loading. They will deliver more than 80,000 tonnes of food wheat to the countries that need it the most.

    In general, under the Grain From Ukraine program, by the end of next spring, we plan to send at least 60 vessels from our ports – at least ten per month – to countries at risk of famine and drought. This is Ethiopia, these are Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Congo, Kenya, Nigeria. All of them are in dire need of help. Imagine – just one ship with grain provides food for 90,000 people. Sixty such ships will be able to prevent the starvation of at least 5 million inhabitants of the world.

    We invite other states and socially responsible businesses to this humanitarian initiative, humanitarian program. And I am happy to announce today that on the day of its launch, 20 countries joined Grain From Ukraine and there will be more.

    And I am glad that today we all gathered together in Kyiv. Some are offline, some are online. But in this format, today the participants of the International Summit on Food Security are President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of France Emmanuel Macron, and Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz. Prime Ministers of Poland, Lithuania, Romania, and Belgium: Mateusz Morawiecki, Ingrida Šimonytė, Nicolae Ciucă, Alexander De Croo. President of Hungary Katalin Novák. UN Secretary General Mr. Guterres. Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte. Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson and Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenković. Presidents of Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Bulgaria. Secretary General of NATO. High-ranking officials of the UK, the Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, Spain, Qatar, and Canada. The United States Agency for International Development, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the World Food Programme in Ukraine, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. I believe that the mix is strong enough for the first such initiative. I want to thank you all.

    Based on the results of the summit, we will issue a Joint Statement. It will remain open for accession by interested parties. However, we welcome not only joining it but also any other format of participation in this program. Because its goal is our common goal – to prevent hunger in the world. The future of humanity depends on the readiness to respond effectively to the challenges of today. And one of the most important tasks is to have effective mechanisms – and this is one such mechanism, which is effective and functional – to guarantee food security.

    Today, I want to suggest that a new international institution has been created as a continuation of this initiative. An institution that will be a new, efficient and effective tool to prevent global threats and rapidly respond to them. All threats: food, humanitarian, security. With headquarters in Kyiv or Odesa, from where a ship will soon depart within the Grain From Ukraine program.

    Ladies and Gentlemen!

    Amid ongoing Russian aggression, it is no less important to recognize the Holodomor of 1932–1933 as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people. This has already been done by the United States, Canada, Australia, Poland – in total, by our friends from 17 countries. In 2022 it was Brazil and the Czech Republic. The day before, I called on the states and international organizations that have not yet done so to do this. On November 23, Romania approved the relevant decision. We are grateful. On November 24 it was Ireland. On November 25 – Moldova. I invite others to join this important historical truth. This will be a strong manifestation of solidarity with Ukraine in these extremely difficult times for us.

    In addition, there is something that can be done today. All of Ukraine will hold a national minute of silence today. We will light a memorial candle in our windows. We invite all other countries and nations to join us.

    At 16:00 Kyiv time. At 15:00 CET. When it will be 2:00 p.m. in London, it will be 9:00 a.m. in New York and Toronto, 7:30 p.m. in New Delhi, 10:00 p.m. in Beijing, 11:00 p.m. in Tokyo and Seoul, and 1:00 a.m. in Sydney. As proof that we all do not forget, we all remember the past and are ready to build a different, just future together. The human future, at any time of the day or night.

    Finally, I invite everyone to Ukraine in a year – for our next second summit – the International Summit on Food Security and our Grain From Ukraine initiative. To evaluate joint efforts. To outline further plans. I am sure, we will be able to achieve results and overcome all threats only united, only together. We can win only together. Ukraine and the civilized world without war, without terrorism, without hunger.

    Thank you very much!

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech to the European Idea International Symposium

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech to the European Idea International Symposium

    The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 25 November 2022.

    Dear friends!

    Dear colleagues!

    Dear Gitanas, thank you for the invitation to take part in this discussion in Kaunas.

    This year we all saw a very important thing.

    It’s like any athlete that can become champion only when participating in the competition.

    Like any judge that can convince everyone of his unbiased work and wisdom when the case hearing has started.

    Any teacher sees for himself what he is worth when students return to him years after and it is clearly seen in their eyes and life circumstances whether they have perceived what they have been taught.

    This year we saw Europe we’ve all been striving for. Europe we’ve been building for decades and dreaming of for much longer.

    We saw Europe in action. We saw Europe not only in its striving for justice, but also in the protection of justice. We saw Europe not only manifesting certain values, but also capable of winning on the basis of its values.

    We saw a united Europe not only as a goal or a set of agreements at the political level, but also as the results being achieved here and now.

    Europe has made conclusions from its historical mistakes made by previous generations. European nations no longer leave each other alone when tyranny starts an offensive. European leaders defend what unites all of us much more fiercely than what coincides with certain personal ideological views. European states achieve things that seemed fantasies ten years ago.

    This year the frontline in Ukraine has become the line of struggle of Europe for itself. 274 days have passed and it is obvious that the anti-European aggression of Russia will fail, and European freedom will be guaranteed.

    Russia still resorts to various forms of terror so far. Russia still has enough missiles and artillery to kill people everyday and provoke new difficulties for Ukraine and the whole of Europe.

    But what Russian imperialism has always bet on and what has ultimately caused Europe’s defeat isn’t and won’t be the case. There is no split between Europeans. And maintaining such reality in Europe is our common task #1.

    This year Europe finally carries out energy disarmament of Russia. The continent’s dependence on Russian energy resources has started to reduce. And it must vanish completely. And one of the key instruments for that is to limit Russian profit from exports of its resources.

    The introduction of price caps, i.e. forcible price restriction for Russian oil, has already become the topic of discussion in Europe and the world. And there are allegedly discussions about the level of 60 or 70 U.S. dollars.

    No doubt, such words are just sandbagging. They’re rather an attempt to imitate something than to do something.

    And I am grateful to our Polish and Baltic colleagues for their quite relevant proposals. Limiting the price at the level of up to 30 U.S. dollars per barrel seems a more feasible proposal. And I am grateful that such a proposal has been put forward and is being advocated. Now is the time to ensure this achievement of Europe as well.

    And on the basis of this and other similar achievements, none of the potential enemies of Europe will ever be able to blackmail our continent with energy weapons.

    The energy security of Europe, and therefore the price security, will now be based first of all on cooperation and solidarity between Europeans, and on European energy rules.

    We also have one more result, which is definitely important.

    Dear friends!

    This year we have eliminated the gray zone on the EU borders, which Ukraine has been staying in for decades.

    Our state has become a candidate for EU membership and implements this perspective. Hence, we are finally eliminating the strategic uncertainty, which has been the source of instability for the whole continent and instigated Russia’s revanchism.

    And we must begin our accession negotiations just as quickly as we’ve gained the candidate status.

    When Ukraine’s fate is determined, the fate of the whole center and east of Europe is determined. Ukraine is and will be free, Ukraine is and will be democratic, Ukraine is and will be strong. Ukraine exists and will exist. Hence, Europe exists and will exist.

    So when we guarantee a long-standing security for Ukraine, we guarantee the same security for the whole continent.

    That is why, on the basis of what we have already managed to achieve, we must do one more thing.

    A very practical one.

    I have no doubt that eventually we will implement the Ukraine Peace Formula, stop the Russian aggression, and dismantle the threats it has brought to Ukraine, Europe and the world.

    But we must already show our vitality, the energetic nature of Europe.

    Just as the front line in Ukraine became the line of Europe’s struggle for itself, the reconstruction of Ukraine must become for Europe a reconstruction of itself.

    This is the largest economic and humanitarian project of our generations. The greatest opportunities for the economic development of European countries. The biggest opportunities for European companies and the biggest boost for European production.

    Hence, this is the biggest potential for our social development.

    The implementation of this project has already begun.

    When we rebuild energy sphere to withstand Russian terror, it is rebuilding Europe. When we rebuild our infrastructure, social facilities, and housing to provide for Ukrainians, we give the whole of Europe an incentive to work for itself together with us. When we look for and find new logistics, production and trade opportunities for Ukraine, we look for and find them for everyone who cooperates with us.

    We do it as equals. We do this for our common interests. And that’s how we must overcome the key challenge facing us now in order to strengthen us all.

    We must endure this winter – winter everyone will remember.

    We must do everything to remember not what it has threatened us with, but what we’ve managed to do to protect ourselves from this threat.

    And that is why we need to clearly understand the idea of Europe. A united Europe – it is very important.

    I often hear the same question – how Europe can help Ukraine .

    Of course, we are grateful for that, but is the question formed correctly?

    Europe can help itself. It’s not about helping Ukraine stand up to Russia, it’s about Europe being able to help itself stand up to Russia.

    It is not only in Ukraine that millions of people are without light and heat because of Russian terror. It is on the eastern flank of Europe that millions of Europeans are without light and heat due to Russian terror.

    It is not only Ukraine that Russia wants to break, it is Europe that Russia wants to break.

    We are all parts of one whole. What was a dream. What started with politics. What has become our life – a united Europe.

    This is the key idea.

    There is no Ukraine separate from Europe, just as there is no Poland or Lithuania or Romania or Latvia or Germany or France separate from Europe. This is our continent. This is our life.

    And this is our path that we can endure. Just as this winter and this war. All Europeans together.

    I thank you for your attention!

    Thank you for your continued support!

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech at the OSCE PA

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech at the OSCE PA

    The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 24 November 2022.

    Dear Madam President,

    Dear Speakers of the Sejm and Senate of Poland,

    Ladies and Gentlemen!

    Thank you for the opportunity to address you.

    Today is exactly 9 months from the day when Russia started a criminal and unprovoked full-scale war against Ukraine.

    Our country is showing unprecedented bravery by destroying the army of the occupier, who was bragging that he was allegedly the second most powerful in the world.

    Most of the countries of the world are showing strong solidarity, helping us free our land from occupation and protecting our people from Russia’s genocidal policy.

    We see various international platforms finding the necessary solutions to help stop Russian terror, isolate the terrorist state as much as possible, and find a way out of the brutal global crises created by Russia.

    But why is there still no OSCE among these platforms? Why, in particular, is a terrorist state even after 9 months of its continuous crimes still a member of your Parliamentary Assembly?

    If it was not for the Polish decision regarding visas for the Russian delegation, for which I am grateful to Poland, grateful to the representatives of the Polish Sejm, the government, and also the President, so if it was not for this, the representatives of the terrorist state could be among you today. This fact is an open mockery of all the principles on the basis of which the OSCE was created.

    Russia uses massive missile strikes against peaceful cities. It is trying to leave millions of people without electricity, communication, heat and water. It is trying to turn millions of Ukrainians into refugees who would seek refuge in other countries – in your countries. Every day and every night for nine months, Russia has been shelling the cities it can reach with artillery and MLRS…

    And you all know very well that the current owners of Russia would like to do the same thing they are doing with Ukraine with other neighboring countries, too. They would love to if they could.

    If Ukraine had not stopped their aggressive ambitions. If the world had not shown solidarity.

    But the world was not looking for a meaningless compromise – all minus one – to fight Russian terror. So why should you be looking for that kind of compromise here? If obsolete regulations are designed to protect only false ideas about security and cooperation in Europe and do not really protect life and people, one cannot remain hostage to such procedures and regulations. Determination is required to change them.

    I urge you not to wait for winter, spring or summer to finally remove even the hypothetical possibility for supporters of terror to participate in any activity of your parliamentary assembly.

    I urge you to do everything you can to ensure that the OSCE is among those who are truly able to stop terror and help bring Russian murderers and torturers to justice. If you can act effectively at the level of your national parliaments, then the parliamentary assemblies must be able to act too – and not only at the level of verbal condemnations.

    Russia’s war against Ukraine is a test for any international organization. Is it relevant or not? Is it capable of anything other than texts about what is happening, or not? Is it present among those who bring peace, or does it only care about how to preserve itself in its offices and halls?

    Russia does not read letters about peace and does not listen to statements about the Helsinki principles. Russia does not consider the presence of any Council in Europe as a value. Russia does not respect the Red Cross and will not obey just because some organization has been working for over a hundred years.

    You have to be where the greatest danger is, if your calling is to take care of safety. It is necessary to make effective decisions that have legal consequences for the enemies of a united Europe, if your task is to protect Europe. You have to fight for every person where a person is in the worst danger, you have to fight for access to such people, to really save them, if your task is to protect people.

    We see in Ukraine who really helps, and who perceives Russian terror as part of the television picture. We see who is trying for the sake of peace to break everything that stands in the way, and who is pretending that this is some kind of online genocide – watching and waiting for Russia to stop on its own at some point or for someone to somehow press the “pause” button. We see who shows humanity saving people, and who quietly thinks that Ukrainians can simply be sacrificed.

    We see it all. The world sees it. And there will definitely be conclusions.

    Conclusions about specific leaders who were afraid of true leadership. Conclusions regarding specific international organizations that opposed themselves to the movement of history. Conclusions about specific countries, which, unfortunately, were shackled by fear. Right now, and precisely on the basis of actions or lack of actions during the Russian terrorist war, the fate of many in the world is being determined.

    And I urge you to do everything possible so that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe becomes a co-creator of the victory over Russian terror, and therefore a co-creator of peace on our continent.

    I am grateful for the principled Presidency of the Assembly and for the conscientious work in the committees and at the level of national delegations – for all that serves to protect our values and helps isolate Russia for terror. And I urge to extend this principledness and conscientiousness to the procedural architecture of the Assembly and to the OSCE in general. The time has come for this reform!

    And, of course, in order to finally stop counting months of war and start counting the years of peace, it is necessary to use all national and international opportunities to put pressure on the terrorist state. Be leaders in this – and you will be leaders of the movement towards peace.

    Thank you for your attention!

    Thank you to everyone for supporting Ukraine!

    I believe that we will restore peace!

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech at the UN Security Council Meeting Following Russian Missile Strikes

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech at the UN Security Council Meeting Following Russian Missile Strikes

    The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 24 November 2022.

    Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen!

    We expect a strong reaction from the world to today’s Russian terror. We expect the reaction of partners. We expect the reaction of friends – not just observers. We expect the reaction of all those who really recognize the UN Charter.

    We are doing everything possible. Ukraine presented the Peace Formula. The world heard it.

    10 points – how to restore the full power of the UN Charter violated by Russia, and guarantee the safety of Ukraine, the safety of Europe and all the peoples of the planet who suffer from the consequences of Russian aggression.

    In response to our Peace Formula, Russia is following the steps of its formula of terror.

    The very next day after I proposed the Ukrainian Peace Formula at the G19 summit in Indonesia, we received ten Russian missiles per each point of the Peace Formula.

    The strikes continued.

    We liberated Kherson – and as soon as the Russian army fled from there, it began to methodically destroy this city. Strikes every day.

    This night – another missile attack on the Zaporizhzhia region, on the hospital – on the buildings where the maternity ward was located. Russian terrorists took the life of a baby – the child was 2 days old when it was killed by a Russian missile!

    And then again – dead, dead, dozens of wounded. In the city of Vyshhorod this afternoon, a residential building was hit, 35 people were injured, 4 were killed.

    This is one of the main points of the Russian formula of terror – missiles.

    Only today – almost 70 missiles. Against our energy infrastructure.

    Unfortunately, a residential building was also hit.

    Hospitals, schools, transport, residential areas – everything was affected.

    Russian terror led to a blackout – and not only in Ukraine. The light also went out in neighboring Moldova.

    But the understanding of what Russia wants to achieve with such strikes should not disappear anywhere in the world.

    Energy terror is an analogue of the use of weapons of mass destruction.

    When the temperature is below zero outside, and tens of millions of people are left without electricity, heat and water as a result of Russian missiles hitting energy facilities, this is an obvious crime against humanity.

    Ladies and Gentlemen!

    Among you are representatives of a state that offers nothing to the world except terror, destabilization and disinformation. Any Russian formulas do not provide for anything else.

    And that’s why I emphasize once again – it’s time to support the Ukrainian Peace Formula!

    There must be no opportunity left for terror in the world!

    That is why we are turning to our partners for support to protect our skies. We need modern and effective air defense and missile defense systems, and I thank everyone who is already helping.

    What can a representative of a terrorist state tell you now? That civilians do not suffer from their missiles? Everything is obvious. It’s all too obvious.

    And I urge you to take concrete steps to protect humanity and life!

    Russia has long been trying to turn the UN Security Council into a platform for rhetoric. But the Security Council was created as the world’s most powerful platform for decisions and actions. This is what we can demonstrate.

    The Security Council should provide a clear assessment of the actions of the terrorist state in accordance with Chapter Seven of the UN Charter. Ukraine proposes that the Security Council adopt such a resolution condemning any forms of energy terror.

    Let’s see if anyone in the world will be able to say, along with Russia, that terror against civilians is supposedly a good thing.

    I confirm the invitation from Ukraine regarding the mission of UN experts to critical infrastructure facilities of our country that have been or may be hit by Russian missiles.

    It is necessary to give a proper assessment of damage and destruction. It should be stated that these are strikes against the very infrastructure that ensures the lives of tens of millions of people.

    And finally, justice must be restored within the UN structures themselves.

    The terrorist state should not participate in any voting on the issues of its aggression, its terror.

    It is a stalemate when the one who caused the war, the one responsible for the terror, blocks any attempt by the UN Security Council to fulfill its mandate.

    This is nonsense that the veto right is reserved for the one who is waging a criminal war.

    It is necessary to lead the world out of this impasse.

    It is absolutely possible.

    The world should not be held hostage by one international terrorist.

    Russia is doing everything to make the electric generator a more powerful and necessary tool than the UN Charter. We must and can return real meaning to all things – and above all to the UN Charter.

    Your decisions are needed!

    Thank you for the opportunity!

    Thank you for your attention!

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Ursula von der Leyen – 2022 Statement on Russian Accountability and the Use of Russian Frozen Assets

    Ursula von der Leyen – 2022 Statement on Russian Accountability and the Use of Russian Frozen Assets

    The statement made by Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on 30 November 2022.

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought death, devastation and unspeakable suffering.

    We all remember the horrors of Bucha.

    First, Russia must pay for its horrific crimes, including for its crime of aggression against a sovereign state.

    This is why, while continuing to support the International Criminal Court, we are proposing to set up a specialised court, backed by the United Nations, to investigate and prosecute Russia’s crime of aggression.

    We are ready to start working with the international community to get the broadest international support possible for this specialised court.

    Secondly, Russia must also pay financially for the devastation that it caused. The damage suffered by Ukraine is estimated at 600 billion euros. Russia and its oligarchs have to compensate Ukraine for the damage and cover the costs for rebuilding the country.

    And we have the means to make Russia pay. We have blocked 300 billion euros of the Russian Central Bank reserves and we have frozen 19 billion euros of Russian oligarchs’ money.

    In the short term, we could create, with our partners, a structure to manage these funds and invest them. We would then use the proceeds for Ukraine.

    And once the sanctions are lifted, these funds should be used so that Russia pays full compensation for the damages caused to Ukraine.

    We will work on an international agreement with our partners to make this possible. And together, we can find legal ways to get to it.

    Russia’s horrific crimes will not go unpunished.

  • Ursula von der Leyen – 2022 Statement at the “Grain from Ukraine” Summit

    Ursula von der Leyen – 2022 Statement at the “Grain from Ukraine” Summit

    The statement made by Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on 26 November 2022.

    Thank you, dear Volodymyr, for convening us on this very important day.

    This meeting falls on the Holodomor memorial day – when 90 years ago, hunger was used as a weapon by the Soviet Union against the Ukrainian people.

    Today, Russia is again using food as a weapon.

    As part of its brutal aggression against Ukraine, Russia has destroyed your agricultural production, targeted your grain silos, and blockaded your ports.

    Thus Russia is depriving of vital access to food the most vulnerable countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

    And then it uses disinformation to blame others for its despicable actions.

    We must continue to fight back against this.

    Your initiative “Grain from Ukraine”, which has my full support, is crucial to our efforts.

    You are showing unwavering commitment to global food security, international responsibility and solidarity with those most in need.

    And we stand by your side.

    In Bali, G20 leaders called for global solidarity to fight hunger caused by Russia’s war of aggression.

    We will not falter in our responsibilities and will continue to do everything we can on this front.

    The Solidarity Lanes established by the Commission and bordering Member States are a major success.

    Since May, they have enabled the export of more than 17 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain and food products.

    And they are the only option for the export of all other, non-agricultural Ukrainian goods to the rest of the world.

    The Solidarity Lanes have become a lifeline for Ukraine’s economy, bringing more than 19 billion euros of much-needed income to Ukrainian farmers and businesses.

    The European Commission, together with Financial Institutions such as the EIB, the EBRD, and the World Bank, have now mobilised 1 billion euros of additional funding to boost the capacity of these Solidarity Lanes.

    And we welcome the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative for 120 days.

    Taken together, the EU Solidarity Lanes and the Black Sea Grain Initiative have allowed the export of more than 28 million tonnes of agricultural products to the world market, especially to the countries most in need.

    It is very important to signal to the world today that we will not let our most vulnerable partners down.

    This is why I am very pleased to announce the support of the European Commission to load two ships with grain.

    We will pay to transport 40,000 tons of grain which is the remainder of the grain that you have made available. Whatever the costs are.

    90 years after the Holodomor, we honour the memory of Ukraine’s victims.

    They died in silence, starving to death, and, at that time, the world did not rise to help them. We will not let this happen again.

    As we come together with Ukraine today to help avert hunger around the world, we also stand with Ukraine as it mourns the innocent victims of the Holodomor.

    And we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

    Slava Ukraini!

  • Mark Francois – 2022 Parliamentary Question on Supporting Ukraine with Generators

    Mark Francois – 2022 Parliamentary Question on Supporting Ukraine with Generators

    The parliamentary question asked by Mark Francois, the Conservative MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, in the House of Commons on 7 December 2022.

    Mr Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford) (Con)

    As a Member of the House of Commons Defence Committee, I visited Ukraine about three weeks ago. We were welcomed literally with open arms, so grateful are the Ukrainians for staunch British support. They know a hard winter is coming, so may I make a practical suggestion? They clearly need more weapons, but they also desperately need generators in order to keep hospitals and other critical facilities operating even if they lose main power stations to missile strikes. Is there anything the Minister and the Government can do to encourage UK companies of all types that might be able to spare even one or two generators from their stocks to get them to Ukraine, where they would be put to incredibly good use?

    James Cartlidge

    My right hon. Friend speaks not only with his expertise on the Defence Committee; he also served in His Majesty’s armed forces and, of course, as a Defence Minister. He makes a very important point, and I was delighted to hear about his visit. It is inspirational to me and, I think, to the rest of the country when we see leading British politicians going over to Ukraine and showing that we are not afraid to go there. We will give the Ukrainians every form of support that we can.

    On the specifics of that support, my right hon. Friend makes a good point about generators. I do not know the specific answer on that, but I do know that the Foreign Secretary recently set out measures to provide ambulances. Of course, the energy network is being affected by attacks from Russia, so military support remains so important, because that is how we enable the Ukrainians to defend themselves so that they can thwart these attacks. It will be tough, and there will be further attacks—this is not going to finish tomorrow—but we are doing all we can, and it helps when people such as my right hon. Friend are going out there and showing the support of the British people.

  • Mark Pritchard – 2022 Comments on UK Companies Involved in Russia

    Mark Pritchard – 2022 Comments on UK Companies Involved in Russia

    The comments made by Mark Pritchard, the Conservative MP for The Wrekin, in the House of Commons on 7 December 2022.

    There is no doubt that the UK has led the Ukraine war effort with the United States, and there is no doubt that the UK has led the international sanctions regime, but this urgent question is about UK companies. Does the Minister share my concern that DP Eurasia is selling pizzas in Russia, Unilever is selling Cornetto ice creams in Russia, and HSBC is still servicing Russian corporate clients? Does he think that is acceptable? What more action can the Government take to encourage those companies to remove their services and businesses from Russia and to divest themselves fully, rather than just give interviews to corporate magazines and offer warm words?

    James Cartlidge

    My hon. Friend makes an important point. It is for good reason that we do not entertain specific discussions on individual companies and their commercial interests, but we have been very clear on the need to divest. We have an outright ban on investment in Russia, and I sincerely hope that companies are not abusing that. I am not going to suggest that the companies he mentioned are doing so or comment on those specific cases, but I am always happy to meet my hon. Friend, or receive correspondence from him, if he has concerns in that regard.

  • Pat McFadden – 2022 Comments on UK Companies Involved in Russia

    Pat McFadden – 2022 Comments on UK Companies Involved in Russia

    The comments made by Pat McFadden, the Labour MP for Wolverhampton South East, in the House of Commons on 7 December 2022.

    I thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Barking (Dame Margaret Hodge) for tabling this urgent question.

    Right now in Kyiv, the temperature is around freezing. Putin aims to weaken the resolve of the Ukrainian people by freezing them over this winter. But with every Russian missile that falls on energy infrastructure, he does not weaken the resolve of the Ukrainian people—he strengthens it. The resounding answer to the question posed by President Zelensky—without electricity or without you?—should be heard loudly and clearly in Moscow.

    To support the efforts of the Ukrainian people, many British companies have ceased their Russian operations and divested themselves of their interests. Those decisions have cost businesses money, orders and jobs, but they have made them because they want to do the right thing. And other businesses are paying higher energy costs as a result of the war. But some companies either continue to operate or have not fully divested themselves of their interests.

    The excess profits made by energy companies have rightly been called the windfalls of war. Energy is the central pillar of the Russian economy and the profits from it fuel the Russian war effort. My right hon. Friend the Member for Barking has told the House today that the dividend due to BP as a result of its stake in Rosneft is worth about £580 million. Those funds may be frozen at the moment, but what do the Government believe should happen to those funds when they are eventually released? Do the Government believe that those funds should be used for the welfare and benefit of the people of Ukraine, whose country is being devastated by Russian aggression? How many other British companies are still operating in Russia and why are they still operating? What is the Government’s position on money they could be making there, which could also be described as the windfalls of war?

    We are united across this House in our support for Ukraine and for the incredible bravery shown by both its armed forces and its people. The question the House poses today is how will the Government make sure that British companies are not profiting from the appalling Russian aggression we have seen in Ukraine?

    James Cartlidge

    The right hon. Gentleman poses a number of very important questions. On a general point, he talks about strengthening the resolve of the people of Ukraine. This country can be rightly proud of every step it has taken to strengthen that resolve, and, I must say on record, of the leadership of two former Prime Ministers, as well as the current Prime Minister. They have shown extraordinary leadership appearing in Kyiv under huge pressure and supporting President Zelensky, alongside the support we have given to the Ukrainian armed forces and our massive humanitarian aid. I know there is consensus on that, but we should not in any way be defensive about the steps we have taken to support the Ukrainian people.

    The right hon. Gentleman talks about companies doing the right thing. He is absolutely right that companies are divesting and exiting from Russia. We welcome that. I explained about the statement made by the Prime Minister when he was Chancellor back in March, which is obviously something we welcome. I think there are some complexities in that process and I will not be drawn on individual firms. That is long-standing Treasury policy for very good reason.

    The right hon. Gentleman mentions the windfall tax. We have a windfall on North sea oil and gas which will raise £41.6 billion—an enormous sum of money. Why are we raising that money? It is in part precisely to fund the extraordinary support we are putting in place to help British people and British businesses through this winter. He talked about the impact on companies of Putin’s war and the impact on people. Yes, of course, the harshest impact is on the people of Ukraine, not least the bereaved families, but there is an impact on our people with higher prices, including energy prices, here and throughout Europe and the world. Our windfall tax funds that support so that this winter we are doing everything possible to support our businesses and our people, alongside massive support for the people of Ukraine.