Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 10 June 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom Ben Wallace, who is in Kyiv on a working visit.

The President thanked the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom for the effective support for Ukraine by the British government in our fight against Russian aggression. Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Great Britain is a true friend of Ukraine. This was especially evident after the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked brutal aggression against our state.

“The war has shown who our real friends and partners are. Not only strategic, but also those effective today. One of such friends is the United Kingdom,” said the President.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed Ben Wallace about the urgent needs of Ukraine’s defense forces in terms of heavy weapons.

The Head of State stressed: “Today the key priority for us is to quickly obtain heavy weapons. This is important in order to defeat the Russian aggressor, to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

During the meeting, the issues of security guarantees for our state were discussed separately. An exchange of views took place on possible ways to unblock Ukrainian ports to prevent a global food crisis.

For his part, Ben Wallace assured Volodymyr Zelenskyy of continuing defense support for Ukraine and stressed the importance of restoring the territorial integrity of our state.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 10 June 2022.

First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in the online format of the conference “Women in Conflicts”. The event took place in Brussels and was organized by the European Union together with the UN Women. The conference focuses on the situation of women at the epicenter of war, justice, and women’s leadership in difficult life circumstances. The first part of the conference was held in New York on September 21, 2021.

Olena Zelenska was invited to participate in the event by President of the European Council Charles Michel who has visited Ukraine several times since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

During the speech, the First Lady showed photos and told the stories of Ukrainian women related to Russia’s war against our state.

“I don’t want to and can’t talk about the war in the language of statistics and numbers. Fates are lost behind them. We already have real symbols of our war,” said the wife of the President of Ukraine.

The First Lady was joined by other female leaders, including Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Iraqi human rights activist Nadia Murad, a survivor of ISIS slavery and torture. She also co-organized the event.

The President’s wife also noted the great role of Ukrainian women in resisting the Russian invasion: “They cannot be called passive victims, each of them has her own story of resistance. Most of our doctors are women. 50% of our entrepreneurs are women, and they work to support the economy. There are 37,000 women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. More than a thousand women have already become commanders. For example, history teacher Liubov Plaksiuk is the first Ukrainian woman to lead an artillery unit and is currently fighting in Donbas. There is such a popular question: what is your superpower? So, each of our women can answer: my superpower is that I’m Ukrainian! And this is no exaggeration. Our women are superheroes who are bringing the victory closer with every day of their lives.”

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 10 June 2022.

Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak met with President of Yahad-In Unum Father Patrick Desbois.

The meeting included an online conference with Andriy Yermak, Patrick Desbois and representatives of the Simon Wiesenthal Center on the investigation of Russia’s war crimes during the invasion of Ukraine.

On behalf of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Head of the Office of the President thanked the representatives of Yahad-In Unum for their efforts to record the crimes of the Russian occupiers in Ukraine.

Andriy Yermak stressed that criminals who invaded our country must be punished, and this is fundamentally important not only for Ukraine, but also for the whole world. After all, other potential aggressors must realize that evil always loses, and criminals are punished.

“In the process of this work, your experience and your efforts to gather evidence and testimony are very useful for Ukraine. We will also find the experience of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which hunted Nazis around the world, very useful. And it is extremely important for Ukraine to involve this organization in the work to bring to justice Russian war criminals,” said the Head of the President’s Office.

Andriy Yermak noted that today it is necessary to document every crime committed by the Russian occupiers in Ukraine and to draw the attention of as many representatives of the international community as possible to this.

The participants of the meeting stressed that humanity should have forever remembered the terrible pages of the tragedy of Babyn Yar, which took thousands of lives. However, today the Russian aggressor, who neglects not only the norms of international law, but also the basics of morality, continues to exterminate Ukrainians.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 7 June 2022.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak met with the ambassadors of the G7 countries.

He informed the heads of diplomatic missions about the results of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the frontline positions of the Ukrainian troops. Emphasizing that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have a high morale and motivation, Andriy Yermak drew attention to the quantitative advantage of the Russian aggressor in armaments and military equipment. He called on the ambassadors of the G7 countries to assist in speeding up the supply of the necessary weapons by the governments of their countries for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This should speed up Ukraine’s victory in this brutal, unprovoked war unleashed by Russia.

“We have a clear understanding that victory for us means the full restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” said the Head of the President’s Office.

He suggested intensifying work to raise awareness of partners about the defense needs of our country, in particular by holding regular briefings for military experts of interested countries, organizing visits of journalists to the front and more.

During the meeting the issue of post-war reconstruction of our state was discussed. Andriy Yermak informed about the initiative of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which envisages taking patronage over individual cities or regions of Ukraine by partner countries with ensuring full control over the use of financial resources. The G7 countries were invited to actively participate in this initiative.

Andriy Yermak informed about the results of the expert group’s work on making recommendations on imposing sanctions against the aggressor, as well as on the state of formation of two more advisory groups – on post-war security guarantees for Ukraine and on reparations.

The importance of ensuring progress on Ukraine’s path to membership in the European Union was emphasized. The most important at this stage should be the decision of EU leaders at the European Council session on June 24 to grant Ukraine candidate status.

The participants of the meeting exchanged views on ways to restore full-fledged exports of Ukrainian grain, in particular through the Black Sea ports of our country.

The parties agreed on the importance of holding regular briefings for G7 ambassadors, in particular with the participation of senior government officials, in order to exchange views on topical issues of domestic and foreign policy agenda.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 7 June 2022.

The financial resources provided by the EU, the United States and other allies of Ukraine to support our citizens fleeing Russian aggression in other countries should be used to encourage these refugees to return home. This is stated in a joint article by adviser to the President of Ukraine on economic issues Oleg Ustenko and professor at MIT Sloan and former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund Simon Johnson for the American newspaper Los Angeles Times.

“More than 6.5 million Ukrainians escaped the country and found amazing support in neighboring countries, including EU countries, as well as non-EU countries such as Moldova and Norway. Taking care of refugees is expensive — they need food, shelter, schooling, healthcare and other services. Many countries have also provided daily cash allowances,” the article reads.

Although part of this cost has been borne by philanthropists, the budgetary cost to EU governments is at least 60 billion euros per year (about 10,000 euros per person), as stated by the authors.

Some Ukrainian refugees, in particular IT specialists, continue working remotely even while outside Ukraine. Hence, they are able to earn income and support our economy. But many jobs in Ukraine still do not provide opportunities for remote work.

“Overall, on its current course, the economy is likely to decline by at least 40% this year compared with 2021 and, until the refugees return home, a sustained recovery is hard to achieve,” the authors predict.

According to the article, as of now, 30,000 people are returning to Ukraine every day. They can be productively employed to rebuild and repair the economy, but the government is hard-pressed to support them and their wages. The government budget is already running a monthly deficit of around 5 billion euros to cover war-related spending.

“That’s why it would make sense to have some of the EU financial support for refugees made available to them when they return to Ukraine,” the authors emphasize.

Oleg Ustenko and Simon Johnson name three possible ways to implement such support.

“One approach is to let refugees bring their cash benefits back with them to Ukraine for a limited period, such as six months. Another is to provide additional resources to the Ukrainian government to hire more people for rebuilding work,” the article reads.

Both these policies will pull more refugees home, but the process may be slow. According to the experts, easier and more effective would be for the Ukrainian government to use this funding, received from the EU, to create a temporary basic income program for all Ukrainians in the country.

“A modest cash grant program would help millions now struggling to feed their families stay in their communities and increase economic activity,” Oleg Ustenko and Simon Johnson noted.

According to them, if half of the more than 6 million Ukrainian refugees were to return home, European governments could significantly reduce their refugee spending and redirect tens of billions of euros into uses that would have long-term benefits for Ukraine. Any such program could be wound down as Russian forces are expelled from Ukrainian territory and the economy stabilizes.

“We don’t know how long this war will last. The devastation wrought by Russia’s invasion remains incalculable. Eventually, Ukraine, a country of around 40 million, will need international assistance and support to rebuild. Shoring up its economy and beginning that process should start now,” the authors conclude.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 7 June 2022.

First Lady Olena Zelenska called on the world, and in particular the United States, not to get used to Russia’s war against Ukraine, because if that happens, the war will never end. The President’s wife stated this in an interview for the American TV channel ABC, which she gave in Kyiv.

The conversation was interrupted for 40 minutes by an air alarm – this episode was also seen by American viewers.

“I really want the whole world, and Americans as well, not to get used to this war. Yes, it is far from you, it lasts long, and you can get tired of it, but please do not get used to it, because if everyone gets used to it, this war will never end. Don’t get used to the pain. And when you start thinking that there may be some reason for this war, it means that you are in the zone of Russian propaganda. Be careful, hear the truth,” she said.

Olena Zelenska also stressed that Ukraine is not ready to give up its territories in exchange for “peace”, as some Russian and world politicians suggest: “We are not ready to give up our territories. You can’t lose your territory and be calm in the future. The aggressor will not stop at part of our territory, they will not stop until they destroy us. So we have no choice – we must fight for our independence.”

The First Lady is convinced that Ukrainians will endure this war. But today our citizens are experiencing terrible tragedies.

“There are children who have seen their parents being killed. Here, in the Kyiv region, for example, there are boys who saw their mother killed and had to bury her themselves,” she said.

According to the President’s wife, Russian soldiers are resorting to destruction and violence, because Russia’s goal is to “destroy everything that makes us Ukrainians and distinguishes us from them.”

The First Lady also spoke about the National Program of Psychological Assistance to War Victims, which was launched at her initiative.

“The big problem is that Ukrainians are not used to consulting a psychologist, so we need a large-scale communication campaign,” she said.

In addition, Olena Zelenska noted the great role of Ukrainian women in this war, each of whom does her best for the victory: “I have always been convinced that Ukrainian women are the best. And finally the world will see the face of a Ukrainian woman.”

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 7 June 2022.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak met with the parliamentary delegation of the Republic of Korea headed by Leader of the ruling People Power Party Lee Jun-seok.

At the beginning of the event, Andriy Yermak stressed the importance of the Korean delegation’s visit to Ukraine at this crucial time for our country, and thanked for Korea’s consistent support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The Head of the President’s Office noted that today our country’s main task is to win this unprovoked war started by Russia.

According to Andriy Yermak, Ukraine’s goal is to achieve peace as soon as possible, because the longer the war lasts, the greater the risks for the whole world. At the same time, he stressed that our country especially needs military assistance to win.

“We are confident that this will be our victory and the victory of our friends and partners,” said the Head of the President’s Office.

During the meeting, the parties noted the importance of the fact that the high-level Korean delegation saw the situation in Ukraine personally, as well as visited Bucha and Irpin, where it had an opportunity to see the consequences of horrific war crimes committed by Russian invaders.

This visit and its results will also help identify key areas for further deepening cooperation between the two countries, in particular during the reconstruction of Ukraine’s regions, which have suffered enormous damage as a result of the war.

In this context, Andriy Yermak announced the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to invite democracies to take patronage over a region or a city in Ukraine that needs to be restored, and invited the Korean side to join this ambitious project.

The Head of the Office of the President and the delegation of the Republic of Korea also discussed some promising areas of post-war cooperation, in particular in the field of innovative automotive industry. Andriy Yermak suggested discussing these and other potentially interesting joint projects during a video conference with members of the government and business representatives of the two countries.

Separately, Andriy Yermak touched upon the issue of work carried out by the Ukrainian side together with partners in the development of a multilateral agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 6 June 2022.

The Yermak-McFaul International Working Group on Sanctions against Russia presented a Roadmap for individual sanctions. The document defines the objectives of individual sanctions, the principles of their application, comprehensively names all categories of persons against whom personal sanctions should be imposed, and proposes a strategy to increase sanctions pressure.

The purpose of individual sanctions is to increase pressure on the ruling elites of the regime, and thus help end the war against Ukraine. The Group proposes to impose sanctions on those categories of persons for whom it will be the fastest and most effective. That is, it is proposed to choose those categories of persons, personal sanctions of the democratic world against which will be the most painful.

The following types of persons subject to sanctions are offered in order of priority: oligarchs, senior government officials, key corporate executives, including foreigners, Russian propagandists, political party leaders, family members, and proxies. The Group also proposes to consider introducing individual sanctions against all Russian athletes. The appendix to the document explains in detail who belongs to the appropriate category.

The number of potential candidates for sanctions will be at least 12,000 individuals and 3,000 legal entities. The immediate priority is given to the 100 wealthiest people on Russia’s Forbes list.

According to the white paper, the sanctions coalition should focus on those who have been able to avoid sanctions in most or all jurisdictions. Examples are Vladimir Potanin, owner of Norilsk Nickel and other large assets, Andrey Bokarev, co-owner of Transmashholding and other significant assets; and Iskander Makhmudov, co-owner of Transoil, Transmashholding and other significant assets.

The key sanctions mechanisms should be the freezing of assets, the ban on entry into the countries of the sanctions coalition, and the termination of powers in Western companies. It is crucial to involve as many countries as possible in a coalition of sanctions. If a person is subject to sanctions in one jurisdiction, all other jurisdictions should be the case. The role of the Ukrainian government in making any decisions on sanctions is emphasized.

Also, according to the Group, any attempts by senior government officials, heads of corporations and board members, propagandists, and members of political parties to transfer property to their family members or proxies should be carefully monitored and prevented. Any assistance in transmitting or receiving such assets should be grounds for imposing sanctions.

This roadmap and the previous papers of the Yermak-McFaul Group – Action Plan for Strengthening Sanctions and the Roadmap for Energy Sanctions have been provided to all key decision-makers. It is vital to continue to increase sanctions pressure on Russia.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 4 June 2022.

Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha met with a delegation of the Ukrainian World Congress, which included UWC President Paul Grod, UWC First Vice President Stefan Romaniw, UWC Vice President Lenna Koszarny, Ukrainian Canadian Congress President Alexandra Chyczij, UWC Executive Director Sonya Soutus, Director of UWC Mission to Ukraine Serhiy Kasyanchuk, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Ihor Michalchyshyn.

Andriy Sybiha thanked the Ukrainian World Congress and non-governmental organizations of Ukrainians abroad for their comprehensive support for our state from the first minutes of the full-scale Russian invasion. He also noted the efforts of Ukrainians abroad in the context of providing humanitarian assistance to the Armed Forces and the affected population of Ukraine.

The parties agreed that international actions, appeals and calls of foreign Ukrainians to the governments of the host countries are important.

“We must overcome the aggressor due to the joint coordinated actions of our international partners and the voice of Ukrainians abroad,” said the Deputy Head of the President’s Office.

According to Andriy Sybiha, an extremely important task for Ukrainians abroad is to conduct effective information campaigns, in particular in those countries where there is a large Ukrainian community, as well as to counter Russian propaganda.

“Ukrainians are shedding blood to stop the onslaught of the enemy. Our priority is to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Andriy Sybiha said.

Ways of further support from the Ukrainians abroad aimed to effectively counter Russian aggression were discussed separately. In this regard, the Deputy Head of the Office of the President called on Ukrainian NGOs abroad to play an active role in ensuring important decisions made by governments of various states to support Ukraine, especially in the defense, financial and economic spheres.

The parties coordinated further steps to consolidate joint efforts to increase defense, financial and humanitarian assistance, as well as to provide adequate care for internally displaced persons from Ukraine.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 4 June 2022.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Dear Mayors of the United States of America!

I am grateful for the opportunity to address you today.

The United States has become a true leader in Ukraine’s international support. This is defense, financial and political support. And it is based on a sincere connection between all nations who equally value freedom. On the fact that we, Ukrainians and Americans, equally understand the dangers of tyranny.

The world has seen various tyrannies. At different times. Under different flags. And all of them are united by the fact that they despise the rights and freedoms of ordinary people. Tyrants do not recognize the rights and freedoms of local government. And it is usually the free people in the cities which still choose freedom that put an end to the history of tyrants.

And to put an end to this, tyrants must not be allowed to enjoy ties to the free world. Any ties.

You know that dozens of American cities maintain the so-called “brotherhood” with the cities of the Russian Federation. Chicago and Moscow. Jacksonville and Murmansk. San Diego – Vladivostok. Albany and Tula. What do these connections give you? Probably nothing. But they give Russia the opportunity to say that it is not isolated, even after beginning such a war.

Each of you sees how the Russian army wages war and what it is doing to the peaceful cities of Ukraine. Its cruelty is no different from the tyrannies of earlier times.

Mariupol was a port city, an industrial center with half a million people. Russia simply destroyed it. There is nothing there but ruins.

Just as the city of Volnovakha and dozens of other cities that the Russian army burns daily. Burns with bombs, missiles, artillery.

Just imagine – since February 24, Russia has used almost 2,500 different missiles against Ukraine. The vast majority of them were aimed at cities. At city infrastructure. And some of the most deadly Russian missiles are designed and manufactured in Yekaterinburg. Which, by the way, is still a sister city of San Jose.

I’m sure many of you have seen and heard what Russian soldiers did in our city of Bucha. Mass killings, torture of people. The bodies of the killed locals laid on the streets while Russian soldiers remained in the city.

One of those Russian brigades that did all this against our people in Bucha was a brigade from the Khabarovsk Krai of Russia. And the capital of this region – the city of Khabarovsk is still a sister city of Portland. What for? I leave you this question.

Now, in order to restore normal life in Bucha and in the Bucha community, almost 2,000 buildings need to be rebuilt. You understand better than anyone else what this means for any city, when 2,000 houses are destroyed or damaged by missiles and hostilities. These are ordinary houses, ordinary schools, sports facilities, medical institutions.

In total, as of February 24, 3,620 settlements in Ukraine faced Russian occupation – both large cities and small towns. In each of them there is destruction. Many of them are simply not suitable for civilized life. This is the reality that Russia has brought. When there is no connection in cities, there is no electricity, there is simply no water. When bombs and missiles can destroy any building – even a kindergarten or university. When the whole city can just be burned.

But I believe that Ukraine will be able to defend freedom, and tyranny will definitely lose. People will again be able to live peacefully and safely in Ukrainian cities. And to make it happen faster, we have planned an ambitious project to rebuild Ukraine after this war.

I invite you – your cities, your companies, your business and professionals – to take part in this project. You can also become the people who choose to defend freedom and thus put an end to the history of tyranny.

Thanks to the leadership of the United States and the support of all our partners, Ukraine’s bravery receives the necessary weapons to fight for freedom. But the economic advantage of a free world must also be demonstrated.

That is why we are already inviting our partners to join the reconstruction of Ukraine. Take patronage over a city, region, or industry that has been destroyed by Russian strikes. And rebuild them with the latest technology. This may be the largest economic project of our time, which will strengthen Ukraine, each country and each company that will participate in the post-war reconstruction. You can join the implementation of this great project. This will definitely mean economic growth, innovation and new social opportunities for both our country and your cities.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

The beginning of the annual Conference of Mayors of the United States this year coincided with the 100th day of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. There are many issues on your agenda that concern the internal life of your country, your cities and communities. But remember – the full-scale war in Europe and the destabilization of world markets, which occurred because of Russia, directly affect the lives of every nation and all cities of the free world.

Therefore, call for even more pressure on Russia. Don’t help it justify itself. Don’t maintain ties with it. And please do not allow those who have become murderers to call you their brothers and sisters.

Help Ukraine. Help even more. Participate in the reconstruction of our cities, our communities that are liberated from the occupiers.

Thank you very much for your attention.

Glory to Ukraine!