Category: Press Releases

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

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda held a video conference. The President of Ukraine thanked his Polish counterpart for sheltering Ukrainian refugees.

Andrzej Duda said that as of now, Poland has sheltered 2.3 million Ukrainians. According to him, the country provides them with everything they need.

The presidents and representatives of their offices discussed the functioning of Ukraine’s energy system in Europe’s single energy network. The energy ministers of the two countries were instructed to continue consultations after the talks.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated the need to prevent shelling of Ukrainian cities from the air. The President of Ukraine expressed disappointment that Soviet-made aircraft available in Eastern European countries, in particular Poland, have not yet been handed over to our state. Although both these countries and the United States have publicly stated their readiness to make such a decision.

“The price of delay with planes is thousands of lives of Ukrainians, which we are losing from missile and air strikes on peaceful Ukrainian cities,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

According to him, aircraft, tanks and long-range air defense systems would allow Ukraine to really defend freedom throughout our territory and drastically change the course of hostilities.

“If the partners do not help Ukraine with planes and tanks, and they have such opportunities, there is a high risk that Russian troops will pose not only a missile threat to the territory of our neighbors – friendly Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and the Baltic States, but also direct general military threat. On their borders, near their cities. And they will go further,” the Ukrainian Head of State said.

As the conversation between the Presidents was coming to an end, Lviv was hit by Russian missiles. Lviv is located 50 kilometers from the Polish border.

After the conversation, Volodymyr Zelenskyy contacted the defenders of Mariupol who also said that the city was under devastating airstrikes. Nevertheless, the military assured that they are determined to defend Mariupol.

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

One of the key elements of the negotiations on ending the aggressive war launched by the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine is the creation of a system of clear and reliable security guarantees for our state. This was stated by Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office Mykhailo Podolyak in an interview for the German media Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

“Ukraine insists on a system of security guarantees, which will include countries that are ready to provide these guarantees, including in the military sense. Many other things depend on it,” he stressed.

According to Mykhailo Podolyak, such a system of guarantees is impossible without the participation of the United States of America in the first place.

The Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office noted that there is some progress in the negotiations with the Russian side in the working subgroups, but in general the progress is not yet what the Ukrainian side would like it to be.

He also stressed that Ukraine would not exchange situational success for global security instruments.

“The Russian side likes to organize a “leak” of some information, some versions of the talks in the media, hoping that in our country, where there is an open discussion, there will be speculation, emotions and conflicts,” said Mykhailo Podolyak.

According to him, the issue of territorial integrity is extremely important for our state. Therefore, such a difficult issue as the future of the temporarily occupied Crimea and ORDLO should be decided only by the Presidents of Ukraine and Russia.

The Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President believes that the peace talks will begin to yield fruit when Russia realizes that it will suffer more losses from the continuation of this war than Ukraine.

“For this to happen, we need effective operation of our army. And this requires that our partners adequately help us. If you do not want to make a no-fly zone, give us air defense systems so that we can close the skies ourselves, so that our peaceful cities are not bombed. Second, give us weapons to unblock cities like Mariupol. Third, sanctions such as the oil embargo, maximum restrictions on financial transactions, etc. are needed,” Mykhailo Podolyak explained.

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

On the Day of the National Guard of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the NGU servicemen who showed personal courage and dedication in repelling the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against our state.

“I want to thank everyone for your service. For your work, for protecting our territorial integrity, sovereignty, all our families,” he said.

“Please take care of yourself, take care of your families, take care of your children’s health. All this is important and will be needed for us, for our future, which we are building and will build together with you,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy added, presenting the awards.

In particular, the award was received by:

NGU soldier Andriy Yesaultsev who showed courage during the evacuation of personnel from Antonov Airport.

Major Oleksandr Solonko who defended Kyiv Airport and, despite heavy rocket fire from the enemy, kept the defense and destroyed an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group. During the battle, Oleksandr Solonko captured five saboteurs.

Soldier Roman Bereza who showed courage during the fire contact with the paratroopers of the aggressor who fired at the military unit.

Senior Lieutenant of the medical service Maryna Riazantseva who came under mortar fire from the occupiers near the village of Horenka, as a result of which a battle broke out with an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group. As a result of the projectile explosion, Maryna Riazantseva was shell shocked, but despite the pain continued to provide medical care to the wounded soldiers and evacuate them during the enemy shelling.

Senior Sergeant Makym Tkach who saved the battle flag during the withdrawal of personnel from the location of the military unit.

In addition, the Head of State conferred the military rank of Brigadier General upon Colonels of the National Guard Volodymyr Barziuk, Oleksandr Biletsky, Oleksandr Bilous, Vitaliy Kozaletov and Kostiantyn Pletko.

The press release published by the President of Ukraine on 26 March 2022.

As of March 26, ten humanitarian corridors have been agreed in Ukraine to evacuate people from settlements affected by the Russian invasion. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk.

In the Donetsk region, the evacuation of people on private transport is planned from Mariupol to the city of Zaporizhzhia.

According to Iryna Vereshchuk, Mariupol residents can refuel their cars for free in Berdyansk at 87B Melitopolske Highway. At the same time, due to the blockade of buses by the occupiers at checkpoints, there will be no centralized evacuation of Mariupol residents today.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that people can turn to humanitarian headquarters in Berdyansk to get the necessary help and shelter. Their contacts: 3-62-76, 3-52-52, (097) 551-59-17 and (050) 439-75-29. Mariupol residents can also call the call center in the city of Zaporizhzhia: (095) 220-41-11, (067) 220-41-12 and 0800-503-508.

The following routes have been agreed in the Kyiv region:

From the village of Plesetske to the city of Fastiv. The meeting place is the village council building at 57 Tsentralna Street.

From the village of Severynivka to Bilohorodka. The meeting place is 20 Ivana Mazepa Street.

From the urban-type settlement of Borodyanka to Bila Tserkva. The meeting place is 331 Tsentralna Street.

From the villages of Chervona Sloboda, Rozhiv and Sytnyaky to Bila Tserkva. The meeting place is a shopping center at 46 Lesi Ukrainky Street, Chervona Sloboda village.

Evacuation buses will depart from Bila Tserkva, Fastiv and Bilohorodka.

“Slavutych, Dymer, Ivankiv – we hear you and we know that you need routes (for evacuation – ed.). We are working on it,” Iryna Vereshchuk stressed.

In the Luhansk region, evacuation buses and humanitarian aid will be sent from the city of Bakhmut. Agreed corridors: from the city of Rubizhne (meeting place – 11 Chekhova Street); from the urban-type settlement of Nyzhne (meeting place – 13 Parkova Street); from the city of Lysychansk (meeting place – GTV, quarter of 40 years of Victory, 324 Sosyury Street); from the city of Popasna (meeting place – 42 Pervomayska Street); from the city of Severodonetsk (meeting place – 28 Khimikiv Avenue) and from the city of Hirske (meeting place – 13 Haharyna Street).

“According to our information, the occupiers have planned a demonstration action today – they are going to forcibly deport ethnic Armenians, Azerbaijanis and Meskhetian Turks from the city of Kherson to the temporarily occupied Ukrainian Crimea… The Russians understand that they are losing control, so they resort to propaganda – take people to Crimea, which is still under their control. However, these steps are futile and criminal,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.

Iryna Vereshchuk stressed that Kherson residents are actively and massively protesting against the occupation.

“Kherson and Kherson residents, you are our heroes!” she said.

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

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on energy-supplying countries, including Qatar, to increase energy production in order to deprive Russia of opportunities for energy blackmail and thus contribute to stabilizing the situation in Europe. He stated this during a speech in the format of a video conference at the Doha Forum – 2022.

The Head of State addressed the participants of the event: “The topic of this year’s forum in the beautiful, peaceful and respectful city of Doha is the challenges for the new era. But, unfortunately, not everyone on our planet perceives reality adequately and understands that we need to prepare for new times. Russia, as we see, wants a time when peaceful coexistence of nations on equal terms was impossible on earth. Can we allow this?”

He stressed that after a full-scale attack by Russia, which is 28 times bigger, Ukraine has been defending itself on the battlefield and couldn’t find justice in the world for 31 days already. Russia, on the other hand, is threatening to use nuclear weapons, spreading this fear on the planet and “boasting that it can destroy not only a nation, but also life on earth with nuclear weapons.”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed the need for real reform of international institutions and UN mechanisms to ensure security.

“So that someone 28 times bigger does not think he can do anything he wants. And that the nuclear status of the state does not serve as a permit for any injustice against other states,” the President said.

According to the President, Ukraine is a country of diversity and peaceful coexistence of ethnic groups and religions. More than a million Muslims live in our country, who are now also suffering from Russian bombing.

“In 31 days of this war, Russian strikes damaged at least 59 buildings of spiritual significance. Mosques, churches, religious educational institutions. More than 200 schools were destroyed or damaged. Dozens of hospitals. Russia does not stop even before the bombing of hospitals! Russian troops purposefully strike at places that ordinary civilians use as shelter,” the President said.

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during the Russian invasion, about 10 million people, mostly women with children, have already become migrants in Ukraine, and more than 3.5 million Ukrainian citizens have been forced to go abroad in search of security.

The food crisis will come after the migration crisis, said the President. After all, Ukraine is one of the world’s most important food exporters.

“Wheat, oil, corn and other agricultural products from our country are the basis of stability and internal security of many countries in different parts of the world… Russian troops mine fields in Ukraine, blow up agricultural machinery, destroy fuel reserves needed for sowing. They blocked our seaports. Why are they doing this? Our state will have enough food. But the lack of exports from Ukraine will hit many nations in the Islamic world, Latin America and other parts of the world. Where some invaders still dream of going to strengthen their old privileges,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

He urged to unite the efforts to prevent food shortages in the world due to the war. In particular, by strengthening the sanctions policy against Russia.

“All the restrictions that have been imposed on Russia are aimed at only one thing: for Russia to start seeking peace, so that it does not pose global threats. I call on all states to join. Russia must seek peace. It must end the war against Ukraine. It must stop all attempts to break global stability and return to the world the old disgusting habits of those who sought colonies and instilled inequality,” said the President.

Also, in his opinion, the refusal of European countries to purchase Russian oil and gas is only a matter of time.

“The responsible states, in particular the State of Qatar, are reliable and reputable suppliers of energy resources. And they can contribute to stabilizing the situation in Europe. They can do much to restore justice. The future of Europe depends on your efforts! I urge you to increase energy production! So that Russia understands that no state should use energy as a weapon to blackmail the world,” the President of Ukraine stressed.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the whole anti-war coalition to work even harder for Russia to seek peace.

“So that people in the world can really prepare for new times, for a new era. Instead of thinking about how to adapt to the return of the old horrors: wars of invasion, famine and despair that leads to uprisings,” the President summed up.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 25 March 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the preparation of a program to support internally displaced persons, which provides for the construction of temporary housing for citizens who have fled the areas of hostilities.

“Officials are preparing a new support program for our IDPs from the war zones. Regional administrations have been given a clear task to quickly allocate land for the construction of temporary housing for displaced persons. I want to emphasize once again – this is temporary housing. Once we establish peace, we will begin the immediate, large-scale reconstruction of our state. But now people need a temporary home. Their home. And it is better to have a home in Ukraine than somewhere abroad,” the Head of State emphasized.

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, all the details of this support program will be presented by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 25 March 2022.

Dear Ambassador Herbst, dear ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for having me here. I’m grateful for the chance to talk to you. People of Ukraine are grateful to our American friends for all the help you provide. Both military and humanitarian. Thanks for your support. It’s really vital for us.

Yesterday, after the NATO summit I was told a joke. The NATO acronym stands for Never Act, Talk Only!

They say the joke is so old that it should be called vintage.

And now allow me to get to Ukrainian. Today, it’s the language of freedom. The language of victory.

If this is true, then things are bad for us. More precisely, they are bad for NATO. Because if it reacted to Russia’s aggression against itself in the same way as it had reacted to the invasion of Ukraine, Russian tanks would be standing near Dunkirk for a couple of weeks already.

And someone – we know for sure, who exactly – would probably have to land in Normandy again soon.

But NATO is lucky – these tanks are now being disposed of in Ukraine.

But the thing is Ukraine is not made for this.

Ukraine has other plans, its own plans. To develop. To build. To continue reforms. To improve life. These plans are not just paused. For thousands of people, they will never come true. They may never come true for our entire state.

After all, the war that Russia is waging against us is not just a war for territory or resources. This is a punitive war. Caused by the desire to return the apostates who rebelled against the “Russian world”. Or to destroy them.

For the Putin regime, Ukraine is a heresy. Literally. And the war against it is a religious war.

So this is a war of annihilation. Russia’s goal is to destroy Ukraine. As a people living by their own customs. As a political nation that chooses its own values. As a sovereign state that determines its own path.

There is no exaggeration in these words. They must be taken literally. Because this is exactly what the Russian leadership meant when it has been talking about “one nation” for years. About Ukraine as a “historical phantom” and “not even a state”.

Henry Kissinger, a man I respect very much, has grasped very clearly the essence of Russia’s attitude toward Ukraine.

I quote in the original language: “The West is trying to establish the legality of any established border. For Russia, Ukraine is part of the Russian patrimony”.

Now the world is promoting the “Give Peace a Chance” campaign, and there are calls for reconciliation between Ukraine and Russia. We did not start this war. We want its end more than anyone in the world. We are making an incredible effort to do so. In particular, the diplomatic one.

However, the word “reconciliation” is completely inappropriate here. It indicates parity and equality of the parties. We see an emphasis on supremacy on the part of Russia. And the intention to continue on the path of violence and destruction.

The Kremlin’s aggressive plans are failing. The blitzkrieg failed. No strategic task of the invading force was fulfilled even during the month of fighting.

They believed that the invasion of Ukraine would be an easy walk. They believed that they would quickly stifle our desire for freedom. Well, they have a lot of experience in this. They have Berlin 53rd, Budapest 56th, Prague 68th… But they have forgotten that the CSTO is a pale shadow of the Warsaw Pact. Russia is a pale shadow of the USSR. But it still has very large resources. In particular human resources.

Half a million soldiers subdued Czechoslovakia. 200,000 have been sent to seize Ukraine. Yet. And a new wave of invasion is approaching. And maybe it will be bigger. In Russia, covert mobilization continues. Russia’s allies are trying to avoid participating in its aggression. But blackmail and provocations can still force them. And this means we will have to defend ourselves further.

But it is already quite obvious: the Russian leadership has miscalculated about Ukraine. Miscalculated at each point. Because the line “we will lay down our souls and bodies for our freedom” is not just solemn words from our national anthem. This is the Ukrainian national idea. We do not just believe that freedom is the highest value. We know that. In 2014, this knowledge was embodied in the slogan “Ukraine is Europe”. Of course, this is not about geography – everything is obvious about it. It’s about values.

But today Ukraine is the Grail of Europe. Without exaggeration. Because it is Ukraine who revives the principles that gave life to the current civilization of the West. You can’t exchange freedom for comfort. You cannot buy resources for justice and human rights. Cannibalism cannot be justified by originality. You cannot be afraid to call evil evil. You can’t be afraid of evil.

We are not afraid. And this is what makes Ukraine an antagonist of Russia. The anti-Russia that Putin talks about all the time. And in this sense, our state is an indisputable existential threat to him. Because his loss in Ukraine will mean the collapse of the regime. And success will only strengthen it.

Terror is the basis of his regime. Terror is the basis of Russian statehood. Terror is the basis of Russia’s military strategy. Russia is a terrorist state.

The Russian armed forces are destroying our cities not only because of technical backwardness and lack of high-precision ammunition. They are doing it to cause horror. Phosphorus bombs dropped on the Kyiv region are not about military superiority. The methodical destruction of Mariupol is not about military superiority.

There were more people in Mariupol before the war than in Miami. Imagine Miami without water. Without access to medication. Without food. Imagine Miami being turned to dust every day. Together with residents who are not allowed to evacuate. Neighborhood after neighborhood. Schools. Theater. Maternity hospital. Without any military sense. Just to intimidate.

They are destroying civilian infrastructure and using unconventional weapons to cause a humanitarian catastrophe. They resort to chemical and nuclear blackmail – the threat of environmental catastrophes due to sabotage at the captured Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants remains extremely high.

They are hiding behind civilians. Tens of thousands of them are being taken hostage and taken to work in the depressed regions of Russia. They call it evacuation. In fact, it is an abduction.

That is why I call on the partners: it is time to recognize the Russian Federation as a terrorist state. Officially. It is time to recognize the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation as a terrorist organization. It is time to recognize them as a criminal organization.

But this, apparently, will not happen as long as the seat in the UN Security Council is illegally occupied by a state that has carried out aggression against one of the founding states of the United Nations.

This will not happen as soon as the world’s largest and most powerful defense alliance is most concerned about avoiding confrontation with a regime that has been breaking the world’s security system for years.

The attack on Ukraine has become a vivid completion of this process.

That’s why we have to endure. For ourselves. And for the world. Because it will only get worse. Unpunished tyrannies multiply lawlessness. They do not need the rule of law. They recognize only the rule of force.

Russia understands only the language of power. Its success in Ukraine will only strengthen the Kremlin’s claims. On the territory. On the restoration of the Soviet sphere of influence. On the right to dictate to other nations how to live.

Ukraine will hold on. For us, this war is a people’s war. Therefore, we will not give up our sovereignty or territories.

But we cannot afford Pyrrhic victory. You can’t afford that. Destroyed and bloodless Ukraine will cease to be what it is today. It will cease to be an advanced bastion of the European fortress.

To survive, we need very specific things. You know what I’m talking about. But we have to remind people about it every time.

I’ll start with the simplest. It is very important to be in time in war. It is important to have time. The more the better. Give it to us. We really need to share intelligence in real time. A clear and complete picture of Russia’s actions is very much needed. This is extremely important for our defense.

Two factors are bringing our victory closer. The first is our resilience. Courage of every fighter. Every volunteer. Every citizen. The second has many names – Javelin, Stinger, Mark-19 and so on.

But small arms and portable weapons, no matter how modern, are of limited effectiveness. Without a full-fledged Lend-Lease, without heavy weapons – long-range artillery, MLRS, etc. – the defensive war against Russia will turn into a guerrilla war. Simply due to the number of its mobilization reserves. This increases the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe and is guaranteed to increase the outflow of refugees. We must avoid this at any cost.

Finally, we need to close the sky. Here we see several options. And they all depend primarily on the political will of the parties. The basic option is to transfer Soviet and Russian-made fighter jets and long-range air defense systems to Ukraine. Relevant reserves are in Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Greece. They could hand them over to us, and the United States could strengthen their defense by providing a replacement. The temporary deployment of Patriot systems and air police missions could protect these countries from hostile actions and provocations from Russia due to the transfer of weapons to us.

The vast majority of citizens of the United States and other countries stand for increasing support for Ukraine. Including the military support. And the number of such people is growing every week. It is time for politicians to listen to the opinion of their own people as soon as possible.

Russia’s success is ensured by fear. It is fear that motivates it to further aggression. It is restrained only by determination. And it’s time to show it. Do not give in to blackmail. Don’t give in to panic. Don’t give in to terrorists.

Ukraine will resist. Ukraine will continue to fight. Not only against the aggressor. But also for the future. For reliable guarantees of post-war security. We are not satisfied with any configuration that threatens the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We will not be satisfied with a compromise on Russian terms. The victim of aggression must not pay for peace. The aggressor must be deprived of the opportunity to attack again. That is why we call on our partners and allies to find a format that will work effectively and for a long time. We have learned the lessons of the Budapest Memorandum. We have paid very dearly for them. This war has totally destroyed the entire old system of international security. We need to build a new one now. And Ukraine has proved that it deserves to be not only its participant and founder, but also its leading participant. And we continue to pay dearly for this right.

And now it’s time for the aggressor to pay. We call for the sanctions regime to be strengthened. We call for the strict observance of sanctions. We call for the introduction of mechanisms that will make it impossible for international companies to circumvent sanctions. Give the world a model that will deprive Russia of the opportunity to pursue an aggressive policy for many years to come. Not only after the end of the active phase of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine.

We call for an embargo on Russian energy. We call for the reduction of opportunities of gray and black imports to Russia through the CSTO and the Eurasian Union.

Russia is not a trade or agricultural state, but a military one, and its vocation is to be a menace to the world. These words belong to Emperor Alexander II. But every ruler of Russia could say them. And especially – the current ruler.

It’s time to stop this wheel of history. Before he does that.

Everything will be Ukraine.