Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 3 September 2022.

First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska continues her video conversations with representatives of various countries who joined this year’s Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen. During the last week, she talked to the wives of the heads of states and governments of Belgium, Austria, North Macedonia, Spain and Serbia.

The talks were aimed at consolidating and deepening cooperation between the countries in the humanitarian, cultural, educational and social spheres, as well as in the field of mental and physical health.

“As it was at the Summit, people are at the center of our conversations. We are talking about those projects for people that have already been launched and those that we would like to implement. By joining our efforts, we will be able to restore Ukraine’s human capital and learn lessons that will help overcome possible future global crises,” the wife of the President of Ukraine said.

Thus, in a conversation with the wife of the Prime Minister of Belgium, Annik Penders, Zelenska thanked for the fact that Belgium was one of the first to provide military aid to Ukraine, supported it in humanitarian and financial terms, and also sheltered more than 50,000 Ukrainians who, due to Russian aggression, were forced to leave their homes. In addition, Belgium accepted 17 seriously wounded Ukrainian servicemen for treatment and rehabilitation and is ready to further assist in this matter.

In a conversation with the wife of the President of the Government of Spain, Maria Begoña Gómez Fernandez, the First Lady of Ukraine highly appreciated the efforts of the government of this country to create favorable conditions for Ukrainians, above all, talked about the opportunities for continuing education for children and finding work for their mothers, as well as for quick organization of language courses for children and adults with the aim of their rapid adaptation. Currently, nearly 260,000 citizens of Ukraine live in Spain, of which 138,000 have been granted temporary protection.

During a conversation with the First Lady of North Macedonia, Elizabeta Gjorgievska, Zelenska thanked her for the humanitarian aid and shelter for more than 3,000 Ukrainian temporary migrants. In addition, within the scope of humanitarian aid, North Macedonia transferred almost 270 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Ukraine (food, clothing, medicine, hygiene products, etc.).

In a conversation with the wife of the Federal President of the Republic of Austria, Doris Schmidauer, Zelenska expressed gratitude for the fact that Austria shows solidarity with Ukrainians and continues to provide them with support. According to official data, Austria has granted homes to about 80,000 Ukrainians, of which 28,500 are persons under the age of 18. In addition, the First Lady of Ukraine offered Schmidauer to become the patron of the book project “Stories of a Better Time” in Austria. The project provides for the publication and reading of books by Ukrainian authors in Ukrainian, German and Dutch languages. They will be distributed in Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands. The interesting part of the project will be the opportunity to read the book on your own. According to the organizers, the initiative will help children overcome sadness, integrate into the environment of the host country and keep in touch with relatives who remained at home.

Having talked with the First Lady of Serbia, Tamara Vučić, the wife of the President of Ukraine thanked her for the help that Serbia provides to Ukrainian temporary migrants, as well as joint sports camps for children. For her part, Vučić said that the Republic of Serbia wants to support Zelenska’s initiative to purchase ambulance vehicles and will hand over two such ambulance vehicles to Ukraine.

Last week the First Lady of Ukraine held talks with the wife of the President of the European Council Amélie Derbaudrenghien, First Lady of the Republic of Latvia Andra Levite, First Lady of Belize Rossana Maria Briceño and the wife of the President of Iceland Eliza Reid.

The second Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen took place in Kyiv on July 23 in a mixed format: some participants joined it in video calls from Warsaw, Brussels, Washington and London. The main studio was located in Kyiv, on the territory of the Sophia of Kyiv National Reserve. The event was attended by 23 first ladies and almost 50 world-famous speakers. The summit was covered by more than 20 countries. The event was devoted to the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, namely: the restoration of its human capital. One of the main tasks of the Summit was to raise funds for type C ambulance vehicles. To date, it has been possible to raise more than $5.9 million.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 2 September 2022.

A consistent policy of sanctions against Russia and visa restrictions for the citizens of this state should make the aggressor feel the price of war, contribute to the strengthening of Ukraine’s position and therefore to the achievement of peace. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this during a conversation with the participants of the Ambrosetti Forum.

The Head of State noted that partner countries have recently loosened their sanctions policy towards Russia.

“Earlier the states helped as much as possible, but today this help has faced the “hummingbird effect”. We are standing still, the sanctions advance more slowly, the next packages are weaker. Russian tourists go on a vacation in Italy, France, Spain, and then support the Russian invasion,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President emphasized that Russian society must feel the cost of war, and then it will influence its political leadership.

“Ukraine’s strength is the way to a quick peace, as it will cause weakness in Russia. Strength on the battlefield and support for our security, our army, sanctions’ support, support for our business and the exit of Western business from the territory of the Russian Federation. Do not support their budget today, do not support their economy, but exit (from the Russian market – ed.),” said the Head of State.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the Russian Federation ignores international law, the principles of international institutions and occupies the territories of other countries, that is why Russians should feel the real consequences of such a policy.

“They cannot be treated the same way as other tourists, as other people who are citizens of democratic states that live in peace, according to the law and do not seize other territories, do not support the war with money,” the President emphasized.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 1 September 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark Jeppe Kofod.

The Head of State thanked the government and Prime Minister of Denmark for the political, financial and armed support of Ukraine during the war.

“We are grateful and highly appreciate this help. We perceive it as partnership and friendly, warm relations between our states,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

The President also expressed gratitude for the shelter provided by Denmark to forcibly displaced Ukrainians who left their homes due to the war.

The Head of State noted Denmark’s supply of military uniform and winter clothing for Ukrainian defenders.

“I want to thank you for this support and such a quick reaction,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The President emphasized the importance of Denmark’s support for the sanctions policy on the Russian Federation.

The Head of State thanked the Kingdom of Denmark for agreeing to participate in the restoration of infrastructure facilities in the Mykolaiv region that were damaged by Russian shelling.

“We are very grateful for the fact that we see practical steps focused on helping with the future recovery of the Mykolaiv region,” noted Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The President invited Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to visit Ukraine.

For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark commended Ukraine’s efforts in the struggle for independence, territorial integrity and democracy. He emphasized that his country would provide support for Ukraine for as long as necessary.

At the end of the meeting, the Head of State presented Jeppe Kofod with the Order of Merit of the 1st degree, with which he was awarded by the Presidential Decree of August 23 for significant personal merits in strengthening interstate cooperation, support of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and a significant contribution to the popularization of the Ukrainian state in the world.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 1 September 2022.

On the occasion of the Knowledge Day, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited A. S. Makarenko specialized secondary school of the I-III degrees of the artistic profile № 1 of Irpin.

The premises of the institution were damaged as a result of the Russian invasion in March of this year and were restored before the beginning of the new school year. From September 1, 1,300 pupils will get knowledge here.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the thematic lesson “We are Ukrainians: honor and glory to the indomitable!” and talked with young schoolchildren. The President and the first-graders greeted each other with the words “Glory to Ukraine!”. The Head of State asked the children what kind of mood they had when they went to school for the first time.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated first graders and their teachers on the Knowledge Day. “School is a second home. It is very nice to see so many bright children. You are charging us all today. Enjoy studying, good luck and all the best,” said the President.

He also examined the school’s basement set up to shelter pupils during air raids.

According to Head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration Oleksiy Kuleba, after the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, 215 educational institutions were damaged in the Kyiv region, 12 were completely destroyed.

Starting from September 1, 412 kindergartens and 548 schools will function in the region in full-time and mixed formats. 82% of schools have shelters.

Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Serhiy Shkarlet noted that over the time of Russia’s war against our country, about 270 educational institutions in Ukraine were completely destroyed and more than 2,100 were damaged.

Starting from the new school year, 11,343 kindergartens will function in the country, of which 5,208 will function full-time and 1,067 will function in a mixed format. The educational process started in 12,906 schools, of which 3,539 will conduct classes offline, 3,870 – in a mixed format.

At the end of the meeting, the Head of State, together with first-grade pupils, took part in the ceremony of cancellation of the “Patron the Dog” charitable postage stamps. The ceremony was joined by the famous bomb-sniffing dog himself.

Director General of Ukrposhta Ihor Smilyanskyi noted that since the first months of the war, there have been many requests for the issue of special stamps, in particular, children asked for stamps with Patron.

According to Ihor Smilyanskyi, part of the funds from the sale of stamps will be directed through the UNITED24 platform to purchase a remote-controlled mechanized demining machine, and the rest will be given to animal shelters.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 1 September 2022.

Dear children!

Dear schoolchildren, students!

Dear children of Ukraine who are going to school for the first time today! Dear schoolchildren returning to school! Dear students who acquire professional skills! Dear friends!

Today, September 1st is your Day, an important day for all of us, the Day of Knowledge.

This year’s September 1st is very different from the thirty previous ones. But it still combines dozens of previous ones.

Previous years, previous centuries. Battles that have been and battles that are going on. The victories that slipped away from our people, and the victories that the Ukrainians won, and the victory that will surely come.

Today is the Day of Knowledge – the 190th day of knowledge. Knowledge that summarizes more than a thousand years of Ukrainian history, Ukrainian culture, Ukrainian life. Life – against all odds. Despite any threats.

Despite enemy’s aspirations that have always lost and will lose to our desire to live.

Your desire. The desire to love and be friends, to develop and grow, to defend what was received from parents and learn new things. That is, to learn and get stronger.

That’s what makes this school year so special.

It starts differently for everyone. Someone is far from home – in other regions of Ukraine. Someone is far from home – in other countries. Someone remotely – online. Someone is at their home school or at their university, but still – not at peace.

However, it is important that the school year begins. It is important that learning continues. And that knowledge about Ukraine is not interrupted.

Because this knowledge gives us strength. This knowledge has become our weapon.

“Knowing” and “defending” always go hand in hand. To know more than a thousand years of history of our statehood and to defend when someone says that Ukraine did not exist. To know our geography – our beautiful land, our wonderful sea – and to defend not just the territory, but the incredible places where our identity was created at different times. To know our culture, to hear the Ukrainian word, because the answer is in our culture, in our literature, in our poetry.

The answer of Shevchenko and Franko, Lesya Ukrainka and Stus, Symonenko and Honchar, Lina Kostenko and many others… The answer is why we will win.

The crystal-white night was pierced by the sound of rockets.

The sky is all in a bloody wreath, in a wreath of fires.

How did the Ukrainians respond to this?

On February 24, we united. Everyone united. We stood up for defending the dearest thing that we have.

And you showed yourself – our children.

We’re warriors, not lazy, not lying down.

And our cause is true and holy.

Don’t care what others are fighting for,

We’re fighting for independence.

That’s why our lives are so hard.

Our children supported us, supported the state. They grew up very quickly. They did not get scared. And they helped. They helped – in bomb shelters. They took care of parents who were injured. They brought water and food – to the military. They raised money – to give to volunteers for the army.

One can only be proud of Ukrainian children.

Be patient, be patient – patience you grind,

Steel your spirit – and be patient therefore, endure.

No one will save you from troubles.

No one will knock you off your own track.

Stand on it. To death. Firmly.

As long as light and sun, stand and wait.

Pave your way – the one that you identified yourself,

The one who chose you forever and ever.

You have committed yourself to it since childhood,

The Lord himself doomed you to it.

This summer – no one had a summer. Time passed, as if from winter to winter.

Instead of playgrounds, it was possible to be in basements. Instead of playing football in the street, children had to stay with adults and hear too much tragic news.

But you were brave. And you made your choice – a choice in favor of Ukraine.

Entire Ukraine – from Uzhgorod to Yalta, from Chornomorsk to Kharkiv. For the benefit of all our people.

My Nation exists, and my Nation will always continue to exist!

Nobody will scratch out my nation!

All renegades and strays will disappear.

And so will the hordes of conquerors-invaders!

And it was a lesson for them,

When the whole world could see,

As if in millstones, our strong hands

Ground the barbarian horde.

We all know that victory will come. You all know that there will be victory. They stole part of your childhood, part of your youth… But you are free. You always will be. So be worthy of your will – and of our Ukraine.

And everyone holds heavy iron hammer,

And loud voice from top like thunder booms:

“Thou split this rock! Don’t let no cold, nor heat

To stop you! Endure the drudgery, and thirst, and hunger,

Because you are to break this rock apart!”

And on the reborn earth

There will be no enemy, no tyrant

There will be a son, and there will be a mother,

And there will be people on the earth.

Today you go to school, begin your studies, continue getting an education. Today you are going to the opportunity to see, hear, know – Ukraine. Knowledge about it, words about it, dreams about it – which were all about you. About your life. Free, clean, brave and smart.

Today, I cannot but congratulate our people for having such children in Ukraine.

Glory to Ukraine!

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 1 September 2022.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Dear participants and guests of the Venice Film Festival!

I appreciate the opportunity to address you today and tell our story. Tell about Ukraine, its people and the war that Russia has been waging against us for 189 days. A story that is beyond competition and beyond the limits of humanity and common sense. A drama based on real events. Embodied in life by real savages, murderers, torturers, terrorists. A tragedy accompanied not by Morricone’s brilliant music, but by gruesome ditties and sounds of explosions, gunshots and air raid sirens. Horror, not 120 minutes but 189 days long. 189 days of war, which continues in Ukraine and which Europe and the world are allegedly tired of. This is what Russia claims. This is what Russia wants. A primitive plot in three acts for the world to make three dramatic mistakes. To get used to the war. To put up with the war. To forget about the war.

This intention should never succeed.

Cultural figures, directors, producers, actors, screenwriters, DOPs, composers, artists, designers, film critics and thousands of other people – from different countries of the world and one cinematographic family. Your position is important, your voice is influential, your word is loud. The least you can do today, or rather, NOT do, is not to be silent, not to be afraid, not to turn away, not to pass by and not to be indifferent to the war in Ukraine, which was unleashed by Russia.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

For someone, power is only missiles and nuclear warheads. For us, power is in philosophy, mentality, these are meanings and words. For us it is also a weapon. I want every country, every nation, every institution and community in the world to have a clear idea of what Ukraine is going through now.

To hear about this war in the most understandable language. For you, this is the language of cinematography. But you won’t see any scary footage now: explosions, gunshots, destruction, smoke, pain and tears. You will see things that most people don’t usually see. An integral part of every film, which not everyone pays attention to. Important names that fade into oblivion and obscurity, because the moment they appear on the screen, most viewers do two things: stand up and leave. I know that the first thing today is important. The second is impossible.

To be continued… To be continued?

The answer to this question today depends on all of us.

Whenever someone talks about being tired of Ukraine, these titles should be mentioned. To get tired of Ukraine means to brush off these names. To forget these names.

I am confident that the whole civilized world will never do this, will never give up, will stand with Ukraine to the end, to the victorious end, when truth and justice will hear applause!

Glory to Ukraine!

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 31 August 2022.

Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha held a meeting with President of the Board of Directors of the European Public Law Organization Spyridon Flogaitis.

Andrii Sybiha informed that Ukraine had started the process of joining the European Public Law Organization.

“This is an important step for us. The government has already developed a corresponding bill. We expect that it will soon be submitted for consideration by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. We expect that the accession of our state to your organization will contribute to the development of public law, in particular through closer cooperation in the training of highly qualified specialists in the field of law,” the Deputy Head of the President’s Office emphasized.

During the meeting, the interlocutors discussed in detail the practical aspects of involving the organization’s expert and scientific potential in the most relevant directions of the development of the Ukrainian state, in particular in the context of the further movement towards full membership in the EU.

Separately, the issue of possible assistance from the European Public Law Organization in the legal aspect of countering Russian aggression was raised. Among other things, the parties discussed the prospects of involving the leading lawyers of member states of the organization in the issues of increasing sanction pressure on the Russian Federation, confiscation of frozen assets of the aggressor, bringing to international legal responsibility for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression.

There was also an exchange of views on ways to involve the organization in the work of the Yermak-McFaul Sanctions Group and the International Working Group on Security Guarantees for Ukraine.

The importance of the condemnation by the European Public Law Organization of the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine was noted.

“We believe in the victory of Ukraine and bringing the aggressor to justice. I hope to visit the Office of the European Public Law Organization in Mariupol, which was destroyed by Russian troops,” Spyridon Flogaitis added.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 31 August 2022.

Deputy Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Tymoshenko held a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sweden to Ukraine Tobias Thyberg.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko informed the Ambassador of Sweden about the work of the online platform, which provides up-to-date information on infrastructure objects damaged by Russian shelling.

The Deputy Head of the Office of the President emphasized that the Ukrainian authorities seek to return home those Ukrainians who were forced to leave their homes due to the war. For this purpose, the Fast Recovery Plan was developed, which provides for the restoration of critical infrastructure facilities: houses, schools, kindergartens, medical facilities, electricity and water supply networks.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko said that, in addition to the general plan, regional fast recovery plans have been developed, which contain detailed technical information about each damaged object in one or another region. He informed Tobias Thyberg of the Fast Recovery Plan.

According to him, the partner states are participating in the reconstruction of the affected regions and certain groups of infrastructure facilities. Several countries can join forces in the restoration of one region or industry.

For his part, the Ambassador of Sweden emphasized the importance of the rapid reconstruction of destroyed schools, hospitals and residential buildings and expressed interest in regional infrastructure restoration plans.