The comments made by Colum Eastwood, the SDLP MP for Foyle, on Twitter on 17 October 2022.
The Tories promised unfunded tax cuts for the mega-rich while working people were left to a market meltdown that sent mortgage rates through the roof.
Today Jeremy Hunt indicated that energy support will come to an end in April. We need guaranteed support for energy bills now.
![PRESS RELEASE : Andriy Yermak discusses with new ICRC president ways to move forward on getting access to Ukrainian prisoners in Olenivka [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/presidentukraine.png)
The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 15 October 2022.
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak had a video call with the new president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric Egger.
Yermak congratulated her on the recent assumption of office and expressed hope that under her leadership the ICRC will successfully overcome complex humanitarian problems, in particular those caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The head of the Office of the President said that today, the situation with violation of human rights in the occupied territories of Ukraine is one that Europe and the world have not seen for decades. This also applies to the treatment of captured Ukrainian troops and civilians in places of detention.
Yermak urged Egger to do everything possible to send the ICRC mission to the penal colony in Olenivka in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region, where at the end of July, more than 50 defenders of Ukraine were killed in a terrorist shelling by the Russian invaders. According to him, our state is ready to contribute to this mission in every possible way.
“Today is a critical moment. This war is a test for everyone: for Ukraine, for international organizations,” he said.
The head of the President’s Office is convinced that ICRC representatives should arrive at the contact line in the east of Ukraine on October 17. This would be a very important step.
Egger stressed the importance of ICRC staff having access to prisoners of war, particularly in Olenivka.
“This is my priority. And we will continue to facilitate access,” the ICRC president said.
The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 14 October 2022.
On the Day of Defenders of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited a military hospital.
The Head of State visited intensive care and trauma departments. Doctors told the President about the nature of the injuries suffered by the warriors, the course of treatment and recovery.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with the wounded warriors and presented them with state awards for courage and selflessness shown in the defense of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
“Thank you for your service. I wish you a speedy recovery. From all of us, I sincerely thank you for protecting the state,” said the President.
He also met with the medical staff of the military hospital and presented state awards for dedication and professionalism, providing medical aid and saving people’s lives under martial law.
“You are also defenders of Ukraine, because you save the lives of our warriors. All warriors say that our doctors are of the highest class. I thank you and your families for having you here,” the Head of State said.
The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 14 October 2022.
In the event of a real nuclear threat from Russia, the aggressor country will receive an appropriate response from the world, and the Russian authorities understand this. This was stated by Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office Mykhailo Podolyak in an interview with the German newspaper Bild.
“NATO monitors everything that happens in Russia with nuclear weapons. And NATO categorically warns Russia that if there is even an attempt to use nuclear weapons, there will be a response. Today, Russia is gradually reducing its rhetorical threats with nuclear weapons. There is a protocol according to which the nuclear powers act,” he said
Mykhailo Podolyak noted that the world is already doing a lot to prevent Russia from using nuclear weapons, in particular, relevant warning statements were made by U.S. President Joseph Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also called on Russia to immediately stop the rhetoric about nuclear threats.
The Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office noted that Russia invaded the territory of Ukraine with conventional weapons, and our troops counterattacked and pushed back the Russian army also with conventional weapons.
“Russia says: “If Ukraine does not allow us to keep the territories we invaded and cannot keep with conventional weapons, we will use nuclear weapons.” This is how a nuclear state threatens a non-nuclear state. If Russia is not stopped now, other countries will withdraw from the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons – ed.), because any war against a nuclear state will lead to losses. These countries will try to find components for nuclear weapons on the black market or elsewhere. Russia not only threatens Ukraine, it breaks a key element of global security,” the Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office said.
That is why, according to him, other countries react harshly to blackmail by a state possessing nuclear weapons.
“Everyone understands that they must give Russia a symmetrical response. Those who want to use nuclear weapons will get a response, and Russia seems to understand that,” Mykhailo Podolyak said.
The Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office expressed his belief that, despite the statements, the Russian Federation will still not use nuclear weapons, including tactical ones.
“Today we see a drastic decline in the nuclear threat in Russian rhetoric – if we ignore propagandists and talk about officials. We’re seeing a dramatic decline in the nuclear threat, and that’s a pretty good sign. Russia has admitted that it can wage war with conventional weapons, but any attempt to use nuclear weapons will lead to an immediate response,” he stated.
In addition to nuclear blackmail, Mykhailo Podolyak also mentioned the terrorist pressure that Russia exerts on European countries, particularly in the energy sector. The Russian Federation not only blows up its own gas pipelines, but also tries to damage the Ukrainian gas transmission system and delay the supply of gas volumes ordered by European countries.
As the Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office noted, the Russians believe that this will force Germany to receive gas through the Nord Stream 2 branch and endorse its operation.
To prevent the realization of this scenario, it is necessary to protect Ukrainian critical infrastructure from damage by Russian missiles. Therefore, there is a need to strengthen Ukrainian air defense and close the sky from Russian cruise missiles, Mykhailo Podolyak emphasized.
“Yes, we expect attacks, and Russia has publicly stated this. Their goal is to destroy civilian infrastructure, since they can’t do anything on the battlefield. We are aware of this and, together with our partners, develop programs for the protection of critical objects. Second, we developed a rapid system to repair damage and replenish energy in the event of leakage from one region to another. We will also advance our counteroffensive at the front. So Russia will have to focus its attention and efforts on the battlefield. We believe that the sooner we end this war, the less pressure and damage there will be to our infrastructure,” the Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office summarized.
The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 14 October 2022.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held another meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on Friday.
The participants listened to the reports of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the head of intelligence and the commanders of the troops of operational directions regarding the situation on the fronts and probable actions of the enemy in the near future.
The steps for the further liberation of Ukrainian territories were outlined.
The issue of logistical maintenance of the troops, in particular uninterrupted supply of ammunition and preparation for winter was also discussed.
In addition, further regulation of the activities of voluntary formations of territorial communities was discussed.
The meeting was attended by: Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhny, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi and commanders of operational directions.
Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov, Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrskyi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov, heads of security and law enforcement agencies also joined the meeting of the Staff.
The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 13 October 2022.
Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak made a demand without alternatives to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): in the coming days, send a mission to the colony in Olenivka in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region, where Ukrainian prisoners of war are held and where at the end of July, as a result of terrorist shelling by the Russian occupiers, more than 50 defenders of Ukraine were killed.
He said this during a video call with representatives of the ICRC and other international organizations. The call was also attended by: Deputy Heads of the Office of the President Andriy Sybiha and Ihor Zhovkva, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov, Acting Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk, representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office, commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for human rights Dmytro Lubinets, head of the NGO “Civil Liberties Center” Oleksandra Matviychuk, people’s deputies and ambassadors of Ukraine’s partner states.
Andriy Yermak emphasized that the question of the conditions under which Ukrainian prisoners are held and what they face in places of detention in the Russian Federation and in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine is extremely important today.
“Today, in the center of Europe, unfortunately, terrible things are happening every minute and every hour, there are concentration camps again, and it is impossible to remain silent about this,” he said.
The Head of the President’s Office noted that he does not understand why the Red Cross mission has not yet arrived in Olenivka. He emphasized that there is no time to wait, as it is about human lives.
“Therefore, I call for the Red Cross mission with international media representatives to arrive in Ukraine no later than in three days, even if you do not receive confirmation from Russia by this time. And we are sure that Russia is not interested in the truth being known. We call to send a mission that will be on the frontline until Russia issues these permits,” he said.
Andriy Yermak urged to resolve this issue and send the ICRC mission by October 17. The Head of the President’s Office assured that Ukraine will facilitate this mission in every possible way.
“We are ready to join it. Our people’s deputies are ready to go there. Our esteemed partners – representatives of the countries that are with us today, I am sure, are also ready to help so that the leading channels and other mass media arrive. As it happens, for example, when the IAEA mission arrives,” Andriy Yermak said.
The Head of the President’s Office stated that otherwise Ukraine will use all possible information and diplomatic means to move this issue from stalemate.
According to him, the Ukrainian state, together with its partners, will find a way to form an expert group and find people who will be willing to carry out the mission that the Red Cross has to carry out.
“But we won’t wait any longer. Every hour, every day is the life of our people. And today war is a test for every person, in particular a test for international organizations. If there is a desire, there is always a way to realize it,” summed up Andriy Yermak.
The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 13 October 2022.
If Europe, together with Ukraine, does not end the war properly, the problems and crises provoked by Russia will become even larger. This was stated by Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office Mykhailo Podolyak in an interview with the Spanish online newspaper elDiario.
“If Europe wants to get rid of all kinds of blackmail and pressure from Russia – and it’s not only the war in Ukraine, it’s also the migrant crisis, energy, economic, financial and political crises – we have to end this war in a fair way. We must not allow Russia to implement these crises. If today Europe, together with Ukraine, does not end the war properly, it will continue to have the same problems, but on a larger scale, because Russia will think that it has defeated Europe,” said Mykhailo Podolyak.
“I think the position of European leaders, particularly Borrell, is correct. They understand all the consequences of the wrong end of the war. And they understand that there is no way back,” he added.
Mykhailo Podolyak emphasized that, unlike young democracies such as Hungary, established European democracies understand that the war must end properly – Ukraine must win.
The Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office emphasized that, despite the rhetoric, Russia does not actually seek negotiations. In order to start a real negotiation process, it is necessary for the Russian Federation to return to the implementation of the norms of international law and leave Ukrainian territories.
“Russia puts forward an ultimatum: we entered your territory, we kill your people and we want you to give us part of your territory, your sovereignty. It is impossible to reach an agreement when the army of another country is on our territory. Because it would be a temporary solution. Then Russia would work on its mistakes and continue fighting with Ukraine. For our country, this is already the second stage of the war after 2014. If there are recognized borders, no one can come in and take anything away. For this reason, negotiations can begin when we all return to the norms of international law. There are borders, the Russians are leaving our territory and sitting down at the negotiating table. It is impossible otherwise,” Mykhailo Podolyak emphasized.
In his opinion, the end of the war depends on two factors: providing Ukraine with the necessary weapons and the readiness of the leaders of European countries to defeat Russia.
“Mathematically verified number of certain types of weapons, including weapons systems, armored vehicles and MLRS. These are small amounts, but they are exactly what we need. And another thing that Europe still does not understand: the political elite and society of European countries must believe in one simple thing, namely that Russia can lose. It is necessary to psychologically prepare European countries for the fact that Russia will lose,” Mykhailo Podolyak summarized.
The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 13 October 2022.
In order to protect citizens from Russian attacks from the air, Ukraine needs modern air defense systems, because the currently available means are not enough, as we could see a few days ago. The Head of State noted this while answering questions at the plenary autumn session of the PACE.
The President noted that today there are several powerful countries in the world – manufacturers of anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems, including Germany. He thanked for the fact that the first IRIS-T air defense system came from Germany.
“Yes, it will not cover our sky completely, it will not protect us from those 130 strikes that happened two days ago and continue these days. This will not protect us completely, but it is already opening up the possibility that in the future Germany will be able to provide us with more help and other countries – manufacturers of anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems will be able to help us close the sky over the heads of peaceful Ukrainians,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy is convinced.
The Head of State reminded that the USA confirmed the provision of NASAMS systems to Ukraine. According to him, our country also expects powerful steps in this direction from France and Italy.
The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 13 October 2022.
In order to ensure a return to the system of international justice, it is necessary to isolate Russia diplomatically and economically, to designate it as a state sponsor of terrorism, and to bring to justice all those guilty of aggression against Ukraine. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, answering questions at the autumn plenary session of the PACE.
“It is necessary to isolate the Russian Federation diplomatically as much as possible, so that society in Russia knows and pays a high price for this aggression. So that society begins to put pressure on its military-political leadership. Therefore, the maximum sanctions policy is what you can do,” the President of Ukraine noted.
He also emphasized the importance of designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism in order to ensure the system of international justice.
“It is important that society of the Russian Federation understands that it is the society of a terrorist state and from this moment the borders of European states are not open to it,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
“The most important thing is political and information support for Ukraine today, and all of you can do it,” added the Head of State and urged not to get tired of the war, but to support our country on the way to victory.
According to the President, specialists from different countries are working on the investigation of Russian crimes: Poland, Slovakia, France, the Baltic countries – and our country is open to the help of the international community in this matter.
“A large number of people were killed. A large number of exhumation operations are required. Therefore, we are grateful for any technical support as well,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President also noted that Ukraine expects the opening of the field office of the International Criminal Court in Kyiv.
“Prosecutor Khan is now in communication with our Prosecutor General. We expect this process to be accelerated and the office to be opened,” he said.
In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the need to support the UN resolution on the establishment of a Special International Tribunal. “We are returning to the system of international justice. Justice is to hold all the guilty to account,” the Head of State said.
According to the President, Ukraine seeks to involve international experts in the work of a Special International Tribunal.
“It is important to ensure that all this works out, that an international tribunal is organized. And here it is not the question of who is in charge and from which country. The main thing is that they should be ambitious, professional people, focused on the result,” he is convinced.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted the importance of the adoption of the UN resolution on the creation of compensation mechanisms for damages caused by the aggressor.
“The guilty must be brought to justice. Therefore, creating a special tribunal and convicting all the guilty is something that is very important today for us, for ordinary Ukrainians,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 13 October 2022.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) must show more persistence and act more powerfully in the issue of gaining access to prisoners in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and in the Russian Federation. This was emphasized by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his participation in the PACE plenary autumn session.
“We Ukrainians cannot fight for the Red Cross to find an opportunity. The Red Cross has to fight because it’s their job, because they get paid for it, because the whole world is watching them. They should put pressure on Russia to get there (to the places of detention of prisoners – ed.),” the Head of State said.
The President noted that the conditions of detention of civilian and military prisoners in Russia-controlled territories are a priority humanitarian issue, and this became obvious to the whole world after the terrorist attack in Olenivka, when more than 50 prisoners were blown up.
“And here the main issue is the access of the Red Cross. I would like to address you and, on your honorable platform, address the representatives and leadership of the Red Cross: they must have access to the prisoners,” said the Head of State.
However, as stated by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the ICRC has not demonstrated effectiveness in the issue of access to Ukrainian prisoners since the very beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014.
“This has been the case since the beginning of the occupation of our Crimea and Donbas – there was no access to our prisoners. The Red Cross cannot get there. This has been the case for eight years. And now, when thousands of our prisoners are in the temporarily occupied parts of Donbas after the full-scale invasion, where they are being tortured – we know that – and whatever is being done to them, the Red Cross also has no access,” he said.
The President expressed his conviction that the ICRC should put more pressure on the Russian authorities, in particular in the public space, in order to gain access to all prisoners.
“I don’t see their constant appearances in the media, pressure on Russia, speeches at the UN General Assembly. I don’t see this media, information, any kind of pressure,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
According to him, Ukraine, on its part, with the help of various mechanisms, organizations and partner countries, is doing everything possible to release prisoners and exchange military personnel. He noted the help of the UN and Secretary-General of the Organization António Guterres, Türkiye, which helped free the defenders of Azovstal, and partners from Saudi Arabia, which contributed to the release of captured citizens of the United States, Great Britain, Sweden and Croatia.
“I believe that we should all be involved. I believe that the Red Cross should act more powerfully,” said the President.
In the context of humanitarian support for Ukraine, the Head of State also thanked the partner countries for the medical aid. In particular, he expressed gratitude to France, which from the very beginning of the full-scale war contributed to the evacuation of children with cancer.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated: Ukraine’s medical infrastructure has shown itself well during the fight against COVID, but it is very difficult to cope with the huge challenges that have arisen due to the full-scale invasion of Russia. Therefore, our state needs further assistance, particularly in the medical field.
“There is a large number of wounded, and therefore we will definitely need such help. We can’t talk about the details right now because everything is needed. There are special hospitals that are deployed in the de-occupied territories, there are also mobile hospitals, hospitals that are deployed at the front. There is separate support for rehabilitation programs. That is, there is a lot to help with. And if there is a desire, we will be grateful,” the Head of State summarized.