Category: Attack on Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (23/08/2022) – 181 days

The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 23 August 2022.

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

A report on the activity during the day.

I took part in the work of a special forum of veterans. And announced changes in state policy regarding the veteran community – we must create more opportunities for veterans. Without such changes, without this reform, it is simply impossible.

Veterans of the war for independence of Ukraine have become one of the most significant and respected groups in our society. With their specificity, with their needs, with their expectations, which must be responded to so that veterans can contribute not only to the defense of our state on the frontline, but also to the post-war development of Ukraine.

And not only the state must react, but also business, which is very important, employers, education.

We will create such a system of veteran policy and services for veterans, opportunities for their transition from military affairs to civilian life, which will be on a par with the strongest similar systems in the world. You can cite the example of the Israeli model, as well as the American one.

But our goal is for the Ukrainian experience of veteran policy to eventually become a new example for others in the world to follow.

I held a large meeting with representatives of the defense and security sector. Zaluzhny, Monastyrskyi, Danilov, Budanov and others were present. The key issues are, of course, the situation on the frontline, the security situation in big cities, as well as specific security measures due to the holidays and important political events this week – meetings, negotiations.

We are already fully prepared for the second summit of the Crimea Platform. This year’s summit will be even more powerful than last year, in terms of both the number of participants and the topics of discussion. We are significantly expanding the format of the Crimea Platform – tomorrow we will announce all the details.

And today the new diplomatic and security format “Kyiv Initiative” was founded. Ukraine’s European neighbors are already participating in its work. These are Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and the Baltic states. We will gradually involve other countries. In the “Kyiv Initiative” format, the work takes place at the level of foreign policy advisors to the heads of state. From the Ukrainian side, these are Andriy Sybiha and Andriy Yermak. And this format will allow us to strengthen cooperation in the region and joint protection of our interests, primarily security. This is a very promising line of our work in the Euro-Atlantic direction.

Today there is good infrastructural news – the railway branch connecting Ukraine and Moldova has been upgraded and launched. Moreover, we did it both on our territory and on the territory of Moldova – our “Ukrzaliznytsia” did it, well done. This route has been closed for almost 25 years, and now it is working for Ukraine again. This is an important transport direction. And the average volume of cargo per year can be about 10 million tons. I am grateful to our partners from Moldova.

Search operations at the site of the occupiers’ attack on a residential building in Kharkiv have ended. The building was destroyed by Russian shelling last Wednesday. Only today we managed to get the bodies of all the dead from under the rubble. This Russian strike alone claimed the lives of 19 people. One strike. And savages have not stopped such strikes at different parts of our country for 180 days.

The total number of various cruise missiles that Russia has used against us is approaching 3,500. It is simply impossible to count the strikes of Russian artillery – there are too many of them, they are too intense. And at the same time, the terrorist state does not stop playing around with international structures and once again has the audacity to convene the UN Security Council to discuss its own provocations, its own terror at the Zaporizhzhia NPP…

I am grateful to all European politicians who do not forget that the eighth sanctions package against Russia is needed. The longer the interval between sanctions packages is, the greater Russia’s audacity is. And I am grateful to all our friends, all friends of freedom in different countries of the world, who promote the need to recognize the objective reality and legally define Russia as a terrorist state. This decision will come sooner or later, and the only question is how many more lives Russia will manage to take away before the retaliatory strikes from the international community become truly tangible for those responsible for this terror.

And, dear Ukrainians, especially these days, when we celebrate the day of our flag and the day of our independence, if you are somewhere abroad, please remind about Ukraine there, be there with the Ukrainian flag and spread the truth about the crimes of the occupiers.

Let’s all stick together, no matter where we, Ukrainians, are!

Glory to all who protect the state!

Gratitude to everyone who fights for Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!

30/08/2022
Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (22/08/2022) – 180 days

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 22 August 2022.

Good night, Ukrainians!

All our defenders!

The 180th day of our defense and a new week begin.

The week we look forward to every year, as it is the time of our main holiday, the holiday of Ukraine – Independence Day. And this week the occupiers definitely did not expect to be such… They could not have imagined that even now, after six months of such a brutal war, we will celebrate our independence on our land and in our capital.

But it is so. This is our land. This is our independence, which no one can break and no one can take away. And you know it is so. Everyone in Ukraine feels it. 180 days – almost six months – the absolute majority of our people have no doubt that we will achieve the victory of Ukraine.

We are united, we are more confident now than we have been in many decades. And this is one of the foundations of our strength, our power.

And therefore, it is one of the main targets for Russian terrorists. They strike at the feelings of Ukrainians, at the wounds in the souls of our people just as at our cities… They strike cruelly, cynically. But with a different weapon. And not only with propaganda, not only with lies. Tormenting people, all those who suffer the biggest pain, the greatest difficulties, is one of the terrible means of pressure, which has become commonplace for Russia.

And now there are enough reports in the media that in Mariupol the scenery is being prepared for an absolutely disgusting and absurd show trial of Ukrainian defenders, of our warriors who are captives of the occupiers.

No matter what the occupiers are thinking, no matter what they are planning, the reaction of our state will be absolutely clear. If this despicable show trial takes place, if our people are brought into this scenery in violation of all agreements, all international rules, if there is abuse… This will be the line beyond which any negotiations are impossible. Russia will cut itself off from the negotiations. There will be no more conversations. Our state has said everything.

All partners of Ukraine have been informed about what the terrorist state can prepare for this week.

Today I spoke with President Macron about all the threats. President of Türkiye Erdoğan is also informed about all this. The Secretary-General of the UN, I am sure, will also react. They and other world leaders received appropriate signals from us. Everyone understands everything. They understand what the occupiers are doing and what it threatens. And they understand that Ukraine will not tolerate this. It will not tolerate tormenting of people about whom only one thing can be said: they are heroes of their Homeland, they defended the freedom of their people from invaders on their land.

Even in times of war, there must be rules. The power of the world is definitely enough to bring any state, any terrorist under the power of these rules.

Well, all of us – all Ukrainians – must remember one thing: no matter what, our goal is victory.

No matter what, we are heading towards victory in spite of everything.

No matter what, glory to all our warriors!

Ukraine is above everything!

Glory to Ukraine!

30/08/2022
Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (20/08/2022) – 178 days

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 20 August 2022.

Dear Ukrainians I wish you health!

We are actively preparing for the new week, which is very important for all of us, for our country. Our Flag Day, our Independence Day is ahead. The commemoration of veterans of the war for the freedom of Ukraine is ahead. The Crimean platform is ahead. This year it is really special. This year, one can literally feel in the air of Crimea that the occupation there is temporary, and Ukraine is returning.

We will definitely remember our legends – this is and will be a Ukrainian tradition. Let us remember those whose lives have become a part of our national history, which can never be erased by anyone – by no enemy.

Next week, as usual, important negotiations and visits of true friends of Ukraine are planned…

A significant milestone is ahead – six months of this full-scale invasion. The war that changed everything for Ukraine, for Europe, and for the world. Of course, there will be time to tell about it. And tell in detail. But let’s still think today, take a look, assess the path we have taken. How much has been changed – what almost everyone in the world thought was impossible to change. How much it was managed to win, wrest from the Russian army, which for decades was thought to be invincible.

I remember the first days of the full-scale invasion, I remember what various “advisors” told me and advised me then… I know that many of them are now ashamed of the words that were said then.

Since February 24, during these 178 days, Ukrainians have proven that our people are invincible, our defenders are invincible. And I thank everyone who showed their strength during this time, I thank everyone who fought and is fighting for Ukraine, I thank everyone who fights and helps our soldiers, our state.

Our unity, our faith in ourselves made it possible to pass these six months and approach this week, which is always important for every Ukrainian.

We have always said and we say honestly: for the sake of Ukraine’s victory, we still need to fight, we still need to do a lot, we still need to persevere and endure, unfortunately, a lot of pain.

But Ukrainians can feel proud of themselves, their country, and their heroes. And let’s all feel it together today – let’s feel the power of our people, our beautiful people.

This power has always been and will be – as long as we believe in ourselves, as long as we preserve our unity, as long as we fight for Ukraine, and as long as we work for our common Ukrainian victory.

We should be aware that this week Russia may try to do something particularly nasty, something particularly cruel. Such is our enemy. But in any other week during these six months, Russia did the same thing all the time – disgusting and cruel.

One of the key tasks of the enemy is to humiliate us, Ukrainians, to devalue our capabilities, our heroes, to spread despair, fear, to spread conflicts… Therefore, it is important never, for a single moment, to give in to this enemy pressure, not to wind oneself up, not to show weakness.

We must all be strong enough to resist any enemy provocations – as much as it takes to make the occupiers answer for all their blows and terror – for Kharkiv and Donbas, for Azovstal and Mykolaiv, for the filtration camps, for Bucha , Irpin for all cities… We must all be strong enough to endure and go all the way to Ukrainian victory.

That’s why we stay together! We help each other! We restore the destroyed! We fight for all our people. And we cheer for those who represent Ukraine, today – definitely for Usyk, our boy!

We believe in ourselves! We believe in Ukraine!

Glory to each and every one of you!

Glory to Ukraine!

30/08/2022
Boris Johnson – 2022 Press Conference With President Zelenskyy in Kyiv

The text of the press conference between Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, and Volodymr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, in Kyiv on 24 August 2022.

Thank you very much Volodymyr and thank you to the people of Ukraine for the incredible honour that you have done me which is a recognition of the efforts of the UK.

When you rang me at 4 in the morning on that grim day in February and you told me the news that we had been dreading that Putin had been so insane as to invade a sovereign European country,

I told you then that we were shoulder to shoulder with you and that is as true today as it was in that horrific moment.

And I can also tell you that when we met in the high security room in Downing Street to try to understand what was happening, we were filled with foreboding.

We just did not see how this innocent and beautiful country could repel an attack by more than 100 Battalion Tactical Groups, when the suffering and the casualties would be so immense. But you did.

And like one of those indomitable Ukrainian boxers for which this country is justly famous,

you came off the ropes and you hit him with an upper-cut that sent Putin’s armies reeling from Kyiv and then a hook to drive them from Kharkiv,

And it became ever clearer to the world that he had fatally underestimated the grit, the will, and above all the price that you were willing to pay to defend the country you love.

And I salute the heroic dead, I salute the families of the bereaved and the injured,

the emergency services who have been called time after time to the scenes of Putin’s atrocities.

I salute the bravery of the ordinary people of Ukraine who have just got on with their lives.

The teachers, the students, the children.

In our country today young people are getting their grades for their exams and of course it has been a tough time for them,

because we’ve all had to cope with the pandemic.

But I ask them all to think of the children of Ukraine,

two thirds of whom have been driven from their homes, two thirds,

and who have seen nearly a fifth of their schools destroyed or damaged.

And yet working by candlelight or in makeshift classrooms, 7,500 of them have achieved the highest possible grades.

And it is our collective mission to ensure those brilliant students grow up to use their qualifications to achieve their dreams in a peaceful, prosperous and independent Ukraine.

And I believe they will, because out of the ashes of your towns and cities, out of the monstrous scars left by Putin’s missiles, something beautiful is blooming, a flower that the whole world can see and admire and that is the unconquerable will of the Ukrainians to resist.

And that was what Putin failed to understand.

He simply had no idea how much Ukrainians love this extraordinary country with its rich black soil and magical golden domes,

how much they treasure the life, the bustle and the freedom and the Eurovision song contest winning cultural dynamism of Ukraine.

And just as he fatally underestimated Ukraine, he also underestimated the price the whole world was willing to pay to support Ukraine.

We have and we well and even though we must accept after six months of war the price is indeed a high price.

And I have come from a United Kingdom where we are battling inflation that is being driven by the spike in energy prices that is caused by Putin’s war.

And we face strikes being driven by trade union’s bosses who have the ruinous belief that the best way to tackle soaring energy prices is with ever higher wages when that is simply to pour petrol on the flames

and of course we are doing everything we can to deal with the pressures people face on their cost of living and to help people through the difficult months ahead.

And that is why it is so important for you to know now that we in Britain have the strength and the patience to get through these economic difficulties that have been so recklessly driven and exacerbated by the folly and malevolence of one man, Vladimir Putin.

And like every other European country we are of course working to end our dependence on Russian hydrocarbons and we are building those new nuclear power stations, one a year rather than one every ten years, tens of gigawatts of new wind farms and I can tell you that we in the UK will not for one second give in to Putin’s economic blackmail because the people of my countrycan see with complete clarity what is at stake in Ukraine today.

Yes of course, it is about you and your right to live in peace and freedom and frankly that on its own is enough,

but it is also about all of us, all of us who believe in the principles of freedom and democracy and here today now in Ukraine I believe that history is at a turning point and after decades in which democracy has been on the defensive, on the back foot, we have an opportunity to join you in saying no to tyranny, saying no to those who would stifle Ukrainian liberty and independence and we will. And that is why Ukraine will win.

And we also know that if we are paying in our energy bills for the evils of Vladimir Putin, the people of Ukraine are paying for it in their blood and that is why we know that we must stay the course because if Putin were to succeed, then no country on Russia’s perimeter would be safe and if Putin succeeds it would be a green light to every autocrat in the world, a signal that that borders can be changed by force and that is why the British House of Commons, all parties, stood as one, to applaud Volodymyr Zelenskyy and to support the military, diplomatic and economic support that we are giving to Ukraine.

And I’m proud that we have already supplied more arms than any other European country, including 6,900 anti tank missiles, 5000 of the NLAWs, 120 armoured vehicles, Starstreak anti aircraft missiles, anti-ship missiles and now the MLRS

And today I can tell you that more artillery and more ammunition is on its way and 2000 UAVs

and we are training 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers, alongside our allies, and only the other day I was at Catterick in Yorkshire and I met 400 of your recruits that we are helping to train

and these were people from all walks of life, people who weren’t soldiers, who had never been to battle before. But the grim reality was that in just a few weeks from now they are heading to that frontline.

And when I listened to their cheerfulness and their courage, I knew Ukraine will win.

And in offering this kind of training and equipment,

I also want to applaud our friends around the world, in the EU, the Poles, the Baltic countries, the Dutch, the Czechs, the French, the Germans, the Italians, they’ve been steadfast.

But at this juncture it would be right to pay a special tribute to the outstanding global leadership of the United States of America,

And let me be clear, I believe this commitment by the United States of $40 billion in military support, I think $59 billion all told, has been indispensable to Ukrainian success

and I thank Joe Biden and his team for what he is doing and to all our friends I simply say this: we must keep going. WE must show that we have the same strategic endurance as the people of Ukraine.

We know that the coming winter will be tough, and that Putin will manipulate Russian energy supplies to try to torment households across Europe

and our first test as friends of Ukraine will be to face down and endure that pressure – to help consumers but also to build up our own supplies

and I believe that as we come through this winter, our position will strengthen and with every week that goes by Putin’s position will weaken. And that’s why now we must continue and intensify our support for Ukraine. The HIMARs the MLRS and all the systems that are proving so effective in Ukrainian hands.

We cannot afford for one moment to relax the sanctions on Putin, and we must keep up the financial and economic support for Ukraine

and every day around the world we must fight Putin’s lies – because it is his war that is pushing up the price of food and oil and gas, not western sanctions

and we must fight any creeping attempt to normalise relations with Putin because it is becoming ever clearer that thanks to the sacrifices of the people of Ukraine, the vaunted Russian offensive in Donbas is failing and therefore this is exactly the moment for your friends to help you strike the Russians just as they begin to wobble.

We know that Putin’s troops are tiring, that his losses are colossal, that his supply lines are vulnerable.

We can see how tiny his recent advances have become, and how huge the cost in Russian blood and treasure and tragically in the tears of Russian mothers.

And we also know that this is not the time to advance some flimsy plan for negotiation with someone who is simply not interested.

You can’t negotiate with a bear while it’s eating your leg, you can’t negotiate with a street robber who has you pinned to the floor and we don’t need to worry about humiliating Putin any more than we would need to worry about humiliating the bear or the robber.

All that matters today is restoring and preserving the sovereign integrity of Ukraine.

And on this anniversary, let us remember that glorious day 31 years ago when on an 84 per cent turnout 92 per cent supported independence.

And this is now a war for that independence and history teaches us that when a country has a language, an identity, a pride, a love of its traditions, a patriotic feeling that simply grows with every month and year that passes,

and when a country of that kind is engaged in a war for its very existence, my friends, that war is only going to end one way.

Ukraine will win,

and Britain will be by your side.

You have reminded us of values that the world thought it had forgotten,

you have reminded us that freedom and democracy are worth fighting for.

I’m proud to count myself a friend of Ukraine, I thank you for the honour that you’ve done me today,

and you can count on me and my country in the years ahead.

25/08/2022
Tony Blair – 2022 Comments on the Personality of Vladimir Putin

The comments made by Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister, on CNN News on 25 May 2022.

So the first Putin I met was Western facing, anxious to have a good relationship with the West, he used to insist that we met in St. Petersburg because it’s the Western facing great city of Russia. Then I think he found the challenges of reform and change in Russia too great and he decided to consolidate power in a more autocratic way, and then become a Russian nationalist. And so, the second incarnation of Putin if you like, was cold and calculating and brutal, but still, I would say entirely rational within his own terms.

The anxiety I think everyone has is that he’s now completely detached from reality, surrounded by people who won’t tell him the truth. And this is why this incredible miscalculation, I mean, leave aside the the wickedness of it. I mean, the miscalculation strategically and in every possible way has been enormous. Anyone who knows Ukraine would know that there was never any question of Ukrainians agreeing to be subjugated to Russia in this way. So, I think that’s that’s the worry, the trajectory has been away from a reforming Western oriented leader who could have allowed Russia to become part of the West. People even used to talk in the old days, talking about those times when I was there, about could Russia become a member of the European Union? Is there a way Russia could be accommodated, literally within the structures of NATO? And it’s very important people remember this because, this myth that Putin perpetrates, that we were somehow always trying to push him and humiliate Russia. Russia’s problems is not the result of our humiliation of Russia, it’s as a result of bad government in Russia.

25/08/2022
David Cameron – 2022 Comments on Russian Invasion of Ukraine

The comments made by David Cameron, the former Prime Minister, on Channel 4 News on 16 March 2022.

QUESTION:

If you were Prime Minister today, would you rule out a no-fly zone?

DAVID CAMERON:

I’m afraid I would, you know, in our hearts every shred of our being wants to do everything we can to help the Ukrainians in their struggle, and we are helping, we’re helping with weapons, we help with training, we’re helping with refugees, but there’s more we can do on humanitarian aid. But I think we have to be very clear with our friends and allies and people who we care deeply about, we must be clear about what we can do, but I’m afraid we also have to be clear about what we can’t do. That said there are more things that we can do.

QUESTION:

Like what?

DAVID CAMERON:

Well, I think the process started under my premiership of sending more troops to frontline states in NATO; to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, let’s turn some of those into permanent bases. Let’s be absolutely clear about the strength of Article 5 and our commitment to defend every inch of NATO territory. Let’s do more on humanitarian aid. We achieved 0.7% of GDP in our aid payments, I’m sad we got away from that. I hope we can get back to it. Let’s with the EU leave the Donor Conference, lead the aid effort. Let’s have a dedicated aid minister in the cabinet, doing development. The Foreign Office ministers do a great job, but it’d be good to have someone who’s 100% dedicated to humanitarian aid and development.

QUESTION:

Is there a danger here that this could turn into World War Three?

DAVID CAMERON:

What Putin has done is so much more ghastly and awful than many people predicted that I think it’s very dangerous to predict what he might do next. I think the best thing we can do is be absolutely clear about how vital Article 5 is, how vital NATO is, to be absolutely clear about the consequences of that sort of action.

25/08/2022
Boris Johnson – 2022 Comments on Visit to Kyiv

The comments made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 24 August 2022.

For the past six months, the United Kingdom has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine, supporting this sovereign country to defend itself from this barbaric and illegal invader.

Today’s package of support will give the brave and resilient Ukrainian Armed Forces another boost in capability, allowing them to continue to push back Russian forces and fight for their freedom.

What happens in Ukraine matters to us all, which is why I am here today to deliver the message that the United Kingdom is with you and will be with you for the days and months ahead, and you can and will win.

24/08/2022
Boris Johnson – 2022 Speech to the Crimea Platform Summit

The speech made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 23 August 2022.

I want to congratulate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy particularly for bringing us together and focusing our attention on Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea because that land grab in 2014 was the direct precursor to today’s war, and we should have the humility to acknowledge that not everyone realised the sheer enormity of what was happening at the time.

All of our countries however reacted with strength and unity after Putin escalated his onslaught against Ukraine on the 24th February this year, but the first act of this tragedy opened eight years earlier – almost to the day – when Russian forces began fanning out across Crimea, and taking control of a peninsula seizing which constitutes 10,000 square miles of sovereign Ukrainian territory.

At a stroke, Putin forcibly annexed the territory of a European country – and forcibly redrew a European frontier for the first time since 1945.

He ignored the fact that Russia itself had repeatedly recognised Crimea as being part of Ukraine, and he broke so many international agreements that I cannot list them all, but they include Article 2 of the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and the Russia-Ukraine Treaty of Friendship.

And ever since the annexation , the people of Crimea have endured a brutal and systematic campaign of human rights abuses by the Russian authorities, including the persecution of the Tatars, arbitrary arrests, with a tenfold increase in detentions in last year, and the restriction of land ownership to Russian citizens.

Once he had grabbed Crimea, Putin deployed more and more Russian forces in the peninsula, turning the territory into an armed camp from which to threaten the rest of Ukraine, and Crimea duly became the launch pad for the invasion on 24th February. Or one of the launch pads. And I’m afraid that all this has even greater salience today because Putin is planning to do to parts of Ukraine, in fact all of Ukraine, what he has done to Crimea, and he is preparing more annexations and more sham referendums.

So it has never been more important for all of us to stand together in defence of the foundational principle of international law, which is that, no territory, no country, can acquire territory or change borders by force of arms, and it so follows that we will never recognise Russia’s annexation of Crimea or any other Ukrainian territory.

In the face of Putin’s assault, we must continue give our Ukrainian friends all the military, humanitarian, economic and diplomatic support that they need until Russia ends this hideous war and withdraws its forces from the entirety of Ukraine.

Thank you all very much.

23/08/2022
Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (19/08/2022) – 177 days

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 19 August 2022.

Ukrainians!

All Europeans!

For 177 days already, the report on the events in Ukraine is important for the entire continent.

Ukrainian diplomats, our partners, representatives of the UN and the IAEA are working out the specific details of the mission to be sent to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. With this mission, the restoration of full security at the ZNPP and in Enerhodar can begin. And I am grateful to everyone who joined this work and initiative.

If Russian blackmail with radiation continues, this summer may go down in the history of various European countries as one of the most tragic of all time. Because not a single instruction at any nuclear power plant in the world envisages a procedure in case a terrorist state turns a nuclear power plant into a target.

Of course, today it is worth paying attention to another aspect of Russian blackmail in the field of energy. Gas supplies to Germany via the first Nord Stream are again being restricted and absurd statements are being made again that it is allegedly possible to compensate for something via Nord Stream 2. These “streams” are needed by Russia exclusively to supply problems to Europe, not to help someone there with gas. Now it is absolutely obvious.

The longer the terrorist state remains on the European and world energy market, the longer it will not be stable. And the sooner everyone in Europe prepares their energy systems to exist without any supply of energy carriers from Russia, the sooner they will be able to calmly go through any winter.

Today there was a very important visit to Ukraine by Eurocities representatives led by the mayor of Florence. This Association unites the mayors of more than 150 European cities, as well as representatives of dozens of other partner cities.

We will cooperate with them directly – Ukrainian cities and communities with European cities and communities.

The key issue is, of course, the rebuilding of our cities. The relevant memorandum was signed today. But not only this will be the subject of our important cooperation.

The modern development of any country is primarily the development of cities, the creation of new opportunities and institutions in cities, the exchange of experience between cities and urban institutions. And therefore, these are new jobs, greater social capital and higher level of security for people.

On the Ukrainian side, the subject of relations with the Association of European Cities will be our Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. I want to assure that every city of our state will benefit from this. We are interested in sustainable development throughout the territory of Ukraine – and it will be so. Without any exceptions.

And today I want to address separately the residents of all our cities of Ukraine, which are subjected to constant brutal shelling by Russia. Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, all the cities of Donbas, the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Zaporizhzhia region… All those who experience this constant horror of the destruction of life and the destruction of everything that gives life normality. We will not leave any of these strikes unanswered. We will establish the identity of every occupier who gives orders and executes these strikes at cities. And we will bring them all to justice in one way or another. No murderer will hide.

And we will certainly restore everything that the terrorists try to leave in ruins. The word “ruins” will never be a word about Ukraine, will never be a word about our cities. Russia will definitely not succeed in this.

Eternal glory to all who bring our victory closer!

Eternal glory to all who fight for our beautiful, strong Ukraine, for our people!

Glory to Ukraine!

20/08/2022
Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (18/08/2022) – 176 days

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 18 August 2022.

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

Today we are in Lviv, the Potocki Palace, now. At the end of this very busy day, here’s my report on events, meetings, negotiations and decisions.

We have been here since the morning. And once again I want to thank the city of Lviv, all Lviv residents for the attention, comfort and emotional support felt throughout the day.

First of all, I paid a visit to our defenders – those who are being treated after injuries in the hospital. Very brave guys, strong. I thanked the doctors who are doing everything to restore the health of our warriors as soon as possible.

I was very happy to see the boys and girls studying at the Petro Sahaidachnyi National Ground Forces Academy. It was extremely pleasant to hear that more and more people want to become officers of the Ukrainian army. The competition for one place in the academy is of such a scale that used to be only in civilian universities before. And this really gives a reason to be proud not just of the patriotism of our youth, but of the fact that people believe in Ukraine, in our Armed Forces, in our victory. I presented awards to the best warriors.

During a special ceremony on the Field of Mars of the Lychakiv Cemetery, we honored the memory of all those who gave their lives for Ukraine and for the independence of our country in this brutal war.

There is no other alternative – we must return everything of ours and guarantee security for all future generations of Ukraine.

I held talks with UN Secretary-General Guterres and President of Türkiye Erdoğan.

Most of the points discussed are already in the news. I want to say a few main things now.

First. There are no objective obstacles to prevent the IAEA mission from reaching the Zaporizhzhia NPP. Today, Mr. Guterres and I discussed the parameters of this mission and the fact that it can get to the plant very quickly and quite safely in a legal way through the free territory of our state. And just like that.

The one who organized nuclear blackmail certainly cannot be the “transporter” of any such missions. Russia must immediately and unconditionally allow IAEA representatives to the plant and also immediately and unconditionally withdraw its troops from the territory of the plant. The world has the power to ensure this.

If it does not ensure this, we can simply throw the entire body of international documents on nuclear and radiation safety into the trash. Russia is destroying this international order.

The second extremely important point of the negotiations is Ukrainian prisoners of war held by the Russian Federation.

I called on Mr. Secretary-General to use all the capabilities of the UN to ensure Russia’s compliance with all norms of international law regarding prisoners of war. And we discussed sending a fact-finding mission to Olenivka. The full truth about this Russian terrorist attack must and will be established.

Of course, we talked about the grain export initiative. The result is there – and not only for Ukraine, but also for the world, as it is felt that the severity of the global food crisis is decreasing.

Therefore, there is a great need for more security, a greater volume of exports, more ships that can deliver Ukrainian food from our ports.

I held very substantive negotiations on many topics today with President of Türkiye Erdoğan. I am grateful to him for his unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state. We discussed defense, economic and energy cooperation.

I am grateful to Türkiye for its willingness to take under patronage the reconstruction of Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region. This is a mission for a truly powerful country. Today, the first step was taken – an agreement on infrastructure was signed.

I called on both Mr. President and Mr. Secretary-General to voice the strictest possible position regarding Russia’s planned pseudo-referendums in the occupied territory. Any pseudo-referendum will be a slap in the face of the international community.

And I want to mention one more thing today.

It was an extremely hard night in Kharkiv – more than ten people died. Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia were again shelled. The Russian army is spending enormous resources to capture at least one more kilometer in Donbas. Russian officials reiterate threats to Odesa and other cities of Ukraine. We see what is happening at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. We see what happened in Olenivka.

We can and should think only about how to win. To win on the battlefield, on the political front, in the information confrontation, in the economic plane, everywhere…

Let’s believe in ourselves, help each other, protect the interests of Ukraine and know that there will be peace.

He who fights and fights wisely wins.

Eternal glory to all our warriors! Eternal memory to all those whose lives were taken away by the occupiers.

Glory to Ukraine!

20/08/2022