Category: Speeches

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2022 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    Bridget Phillipson – 2022 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Bridget Phillipson, the Shadow Education Secretary, on 28 September 2022.

    Conference, it is the greatest privilege of all, to be here today as Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary.

    Heading a fantastic team of Shadow Education Ministers.

    Because nothing is more important to our futures than education.

    As Keir said yesterday, Labour will run towards the challenges of tomorrow.

    And if we are to solve the biggest challenges we face, spreading prosperity, tackling climate change, revitalizing our communities and building a fairer, greener future, in a world where children born today will live into the next century, where workplaces are changing as never before, where reskilling throughout life is essential, then education must be at the heart of every part of that.

    And we must build a future where children come first.

    Conference, this is personal for me.

    My mam brought me up on her own.

    I remember my time at school under the Tories.

    Classes too big, books too few.

    Money short and opportunities rare.

    Families like mine judged, not helped.

    But I was lucky.

    I had a loving family, who valued education.

    I went to great state schools.

    With teachers who saw the value and worth, in each and every one of us.

    But life should not come down to luck.

    That is why I am determined that every child, in every school, in every corner of our country should have the best possible start.

    So, we need a fresh vision of that education.

    One that looks to the future, not the past.

    A curriculum that prizes skills, as well as knowledge.

    That values and nurtures creativity, alongside academic success.

    We need an education system that enables every child to achieve and thrive.

    Our priorities will define that vision.

    Conference, that is why we will end the tax breaks private schools enjoy.

    We will use that money to deliver the most ambitious school improvement programme for a generation.

    Recruiting thousands more teachers to help children excel in science and maths and thrive with access to sport, art, music, and drama.

    Working with brilliant teachers, leaders, support staff and unions.

    We will drive up standards everywhere.

    We will build a modern careers advice and work experience system.

    So young people across our schools and colleges leave education, ready for work and ready for life.

    Conference, it is the simple language of priorities.

    The Tories put the richest first.

    We put children first.

    And we know these Tories will go on making the wrong choices.

    Because education, under this government is like a school maths problem.

    If you have five education secretaries in one year.

    Three of them, who haven’t got a clue what they are doing.

    Two of them, who want a return to the Fifties.

    What have you got left?

    I’ll tell you.

    A government that is failing our children.

    Childcare in crisis.

    A recovery programme in chaos.

    School buildings collapsing.

    A skills system unfit for today, never mind tomorrow.

    Universities treated as a political battleground, not a public good.

    Conference, we will make different choices.

    For children and families across this country.

    For the world our children will inherit.

    Today parents spend more on childcare than on their rent or mortgages.

    Yet what do we see?

    Nurseries closing.

    Spiralling costs.

    Mams giving up the jobs they love, because they can’t drop their kids at school and get to work on time.

    The Tories denying parents choices, denying children the best start they deserve.

    And yet the evidence couldn’t be clearer:

    Gaps in learning and development,

    Gaps in opportunities open up early.

    So, our plan must start early too.

    Today, Conference, I can tell you that the next Labour government will build a modern childcare system.

    One that supports families from the end of parental leave,

    right through to the end of primary school.

    One that gives our children the start to their day,

    and the start to their life,

    they deserve.

    One that gives parents time to succeed,

    And our economy the chance to grow.

    Conference, as the first step on that road, today I can announce that we will introduce breakfast clubs for every child in every primary school in England.

    Breakfast clubs drive up standards and achievement.

    They improve behaviour, and attendance.

    Because it’s about the club, as well as the breakfast.

    They enable parents to work.

    They give mams and dads choices.

    And they will help us build the economy we all need and the society we all want.

    We will fund this landmark first step on that road by restoring the higher income tax rate for the very richest.

    Because Conference, our children are our priority.

    And while education starts in childhood, it doesn’t end there.

    The skills system should support people, to reskill and upskill.

    It should support companies to invest in their future and in ours.

    Conference, it doesn’t. It needs to change and change it we will.

    That’s why our announcement yesterday, building on the work of David Blunkett and the Council of Skills Advisors is crucial.

    By reforming the Apprenticeships Levy we will give people opportunities to retrain, to upskill and to learn throughout life.

    And we’ll drive a focus on growth across government.

    By creating Skills England to bring together businesses, unions, and training providers to work in partnership, leading a national mission to upskill our country.

    Conference, education is about opportunity.

    For each of us, for all of us, all our life long.

    But it’s about opportunity for our whole country too.

    The opportunities we all gain from a growing economy, where working parents are supported to succeed, where all our children can achieve and thrive.

    That is the society Labour wants to build.

    We will only build that fairer society of which we all dream by closing the gap among our children and young people.

    Conference, Education transformed my life.

    I know it can transform every life.

    It will be my mission as your Education Secretary to make sure it does.

  • Rosena Allin-Khan – 2022 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    Rosena Allin-Khan – 2022 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Rosena Allin-Khan on 28 September 2022.

    Good morning Conference, hasn’t it been a fantastic week?

    I am so proud to be part of the Labour team.

    A team with one goal – getting Labour back into office.

    There are so many reasons why we must end this long, dark night of Tory rule.

    And the nation’s mental health is top of my list.

    Under the Tories’ 12 years of mismanagement, there are 1.6 million people waiting for mental health treatment.

    That’s more than the entire populations of Birmingham and Liverpool put together.

    Waiting times are soaring.

    And far too often help depends on your postcode, not your need.

    And children are being let down.

    Referrals for children and young people with eating disorders have doubled and referrals for children who are self-harming have tripled.

    Children are waiting days in A&E in crisis.

    In the A&E where I work, I see it.

    My colleagues across the country see it.

    The Tories have cut a quarter of mental health beds and it is our communities

    who are suffering.

    An entire generation is being failed by this Conservative Government.

    This mental health crisis is wrecking the British economy.

    Last year 18 million work days were lost to mental illness – more than industrial disputes, more than injuries.

    It costs the UK economy at least one hundred and seventeen billion pounds a year.

    And who does the cost-of-living crisis hit the hardest?

    Those already living with mental illnesses.

    Do you remember Thatcher’s Britain?

    One of being cold in your own home with the perpetual fear of debt and disconnection.

    That should have been consigned to the history books.

    I remember all too well my brother, mum and me gathered around the only heater for moments of relief from that gnawing, biting cold that saps your energy and robs you of your concentration.

    I listened to my mum, awake at night, worrying how to keep us safe and warm.

    This was the 1980s – how are we here again now?

    I’m proud to be an NHS doctor and I’m also proud to be a socialist.

    Working in A&E, I approach a patient from the point of view of their health needs.

    But I know that we cannot divorce the person from their social class, gender, race and background.

    The gig economy, soaring bills, rising crime, a brittle and divided society, a broken social media, brimming with hate.

    For millions, modern life means poor mental health.

    If ever there was an argument that prevention is better than cure, it is with mental health.

    We know that the longer mental illnesses are left untreated, the harder and more costly they are to treat.

    I met the fantastic team at Paul’s Place here in Liverpool on Monday.

    They show how communities support one another after suicide.

    Their stories are raw.

    Moving.

    But their work is filled with hope and love.

    Conference, if there’s one word to sum up Labour’s mental health policy it is this:

    Prevention.

    The next Labour Government will:

    • Guarantee NHS mental health support within a month and when I say ‘support’ I mean treatment, not just an assessment of need.

    • Improve service quality for patients.

    • Recruit more mental health staff – starting with eight and a half thousand new staff by the end of our first term in office.

    • Place specialist mental health support in every school.

    • Establish mental health hubs for young people in every community – open to under-25s, with no need for referral.

    And finally, we will guarantee a fair share of funding for mental health.

    We will not abandon those in crisis.

    Whenever I meet patients and staff, all over the country, people ask me the same thing, “What practical difference will Labour’s pledges make to me?”

    It’s a good question.

    Conference, here’s the answer:

    Our resolute commitment to prevention, early intervention and timely treatment

    will make the difference.

    I’ll never forget the sight of a father with an ashen face being brought into the A&E in a wheelchair with his teenage daughter on his lap.

    She was, covered in cuts and her body emaciated.

    How is it fair that in Tory Britain parents have to give up work to be on suicide watch because they cannot access timely CAMHS support?

    Sadly, I’ve met many such parents and their faces will never leave me.

    This is why it is vital that children can see someone without bureaucracy, judgement, or red tape, our new mental health hubs will make a difference.

    Labour will make the difference and what a contrast to Tory indifference.

    Conference, in her ten years as a government Minister, do you know how many major policy speeches Liz Truss has made on mental health?

    Not one.

    Her reckless mini-budget has left people terrified.

    Terrified of what’s to come this winter.

    Terrified of how to support their families.

    Terrified for their futures.

    Liz, you can’t skip the blame for Britain’s mental health crisis.

    For those of us who work shifts on the NHS frontline, the length of waiting lists is no surprise.

    It’s what happens after over a decade of Tory decision making.

    Conference, Labour will transform our mental health services.

    New staff.

    New services.

    Faster treatment.

    Prevention as our watchword.

    Better mental health for all.

    Conference, thank you.

  • Wes Streeting – 2022 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    Wes Streeting – 2022 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Wes Streeting, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 28 September 2022.

    If you want to see a monument to the Conservative Party’s mismanagement of the NHS is it this.

    David Wakeley, an 87-year-old pensioner with cancer.

    The makeshift tent was made by his son, to provide cover for David as he lay shivering on the rainswept concrete floor where he’d fallen.

    He had fractured ribs and a fractured pelvis.

    And he was forced to wait 15 hours for an ambulance.

    This is the state of the NHS in Tory Britain and it is an absolute disgrace.

    We have the highest NHS waiting lists in history.

    People unable to see their GP.

    Heart attack and stroke victims left waiting longer than an hour for an ambulance when every second counts.

    The Tories will try to blame the pandemic.

    But we had 100,000 NHS staff vacancies before the pandemic.

    NHS waiting lists were already at a record 4.5 million BEFORE the pandemic.

    The number of cancer patients not getting care on time rose in every single year since the Tories came to power BEFORE the pandemic.

    The longer the Conservatives are in power, the longer patients will wait.

    The Tories run from their record, but we’re proud of ours.

    Proud of 89,000 more nurses.

    44,000 more doctors.

    Faster cancer treatment.

    The lowest waiting times on record.

    And the highest patient satisfaction in history.

    That’s the difference a Labour government makes.

    But the challenge today is even greater than it was in 1997.

    The very principle of an NHS publicly funded, free at the point of use, is now under attack.

    Conservatives who spent the last 12 years running down the NHS are now using their failures to claim that the NHS is beyond repair.

    Lots of you know that I went through kidney cancer last year.

    When I received that cancer diagnosis there were so many things I worried about.

    But the one thing I didn’t have to worry about was the bill.

    So, to those who argue we should abandon a publicly funded NHS free at the point of use I say: over my dead body.

    I’m a Labour moderniser.

    I make no apology for it.

    Because if we don’t modernise and change the NHS, it will become unsustainable.

    So, here’s what we’ll do to make the NHS fit for the future.

    Without a workforce plan, the Conservatives have no plan for the NHS.

    Everything else they announce is a sticking plaster that fails to address the root cause of the NHS crisis.

    Politics is about choices. Labour believes the country needs doctors and nurses more than the richest need a tax cut.

    So, we will double the number of medical training places

    And create an extra 10,000 nursing and midwifery clinical placements every year.

    More doctors, more nurses, lower waiting times, higher standards for patients

    That’s the Labour pledge at the next general election.

    Alongside investment will come the change and modernisation that the public are crying out for.

    Voters won’t accept pouring money into 20th century healthcare that isn’t fit for the future.

    We don’t focus nearly enough on prevention, early intervention and care in the community.

    Because people can’t see a GP they end up in A&E, which is worse for them and more expensive for the taxpayer.

    Because people can’t get the mental health support they need, they reach a crisis point, which is worse for them and more expensive for the taxpayer.

    Because people can’t get the social care they need, they’re left stuck in hospital, which is worse for them and more expensive for the taxpayer.

    So, the next Labour Government will agree a 10-year plan with the NHS to shift the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community.

    Our plan to recruit more doctors will deliver better access to GPs and ease pressure on A&Es.

    Our plan to recruit 8,500 mental health workers will provide faster treatment, support in schools, and ease pressure on hospitals.

    And our commitment to deliver better pay, terms and conditions for care workers, will reduce the 400,000 delayed discharges every month and provide better quality care for older and disabled people.

    The first steps on the road to a National Care Service.

    There are so many people in hospital who wouldn’t need to be there if we could provide quality care at home.

    District nursing will be at the heart of Labour’s plan.

    The Conservatives have cut four in ten District Nurse posts.

    Labour will double the number of District Nurses qualifying every year.

    For kids from working class backgrounds like mine, life chances and even life expectancy can be determined from the moment we’re born.

    Health visitors have such an important role to play in helping Mums and Dads but they are managing dangerously high caseloads.

    So, we will train 5,000 health visitors to tackle the shortage and give every child the best, healthy start in life.

    Our 10 year plan for the NHS will be the antidote to the Tory miserablism about the NHS and its future.

    I want Britain leading the revolution in medical science and technology.

    It offers a world of possibility for the NHS to transform patient care.

    Technology can diagnose patients more accurately than the human eye.

    Virtual wards allow people to receive hospital care at home.

    But the biggest prize of all is the advance in genomics and the data revolution that will allow us to transform our model care from one that diagnoses and treats illness to one that can predict and prevent it.

    This will be at the heart of Labour’s 10 year plan for change and modernisation.

    And so will higher standards for patients.

    As Labour’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, I’ll be the shop steward for patients.

    Giving patients a voice as well as choice.

    Patients deserve better than a two week wait to see a GP.

    I have higher standards for patients.

    When we were in government, Labour guaranteed appointments within two days.

    Labour will give all patients the ability to book online, the opportunity to self-refer to specialist services where appropriate and a wider range of choice so that we can choose whether we want to see someone face-to-face, on the phone or via a video link.

    The days of waiting on the phone at 8am to book an appointment with your GP will be over and we will bring back the family doctor.

    Patients need a Labour government.

    The NHS isn’t just Labour’s greatest achievement.

    It’s Britain’s greatest achievement.

    And the values that underpin the NHS – a publicly funded public service, free at the point of use – aren’t just Labour’s values, they are Britain’s values, too.

    And our Party has always understood that the NHS needs to change to adapt to modern challenges.

    So now it falls to our generation.

    No more over-flowing A&Es and waiting weeks to see a doctor.

    No more patients dying before they can get the treatment they need.

    No more staff in tears, leaving the NHS, broken and exhausted.

    No more cancer patients left under make-shift shelters in their gardens, waiting 15 hours for an ambulance.

    Instead – a Labour Government:

    Empowering patients.

    Cherishing staff.

    Shifting to prevention.

    Caring in the community

    Giving real choices.

    Tackling inequalities.

    Building a National Care Service.

    And an NHS fit for the future.

    The cavalry is coming with Labour.

    So, let’s go out there and win for Labour, win for the NHS and win for Britain.

    Thank you.

  • Kemi Badenoch – 2022 Comments on the Atlantic Future Forum

    Kemi Badenoch – 2022 Comments on the Atlantic Future Forum

    The comments made by Kemi Badenoch, the International Trade Secretary, on 28 September 2022.

    The US is our single most important trade, defence and security partner. We share the same values – freedom, free trade and the rule of law. Our special relationship means together we are a force for progress as we face down countries who threaten these values.

    The Atlantic Future Forum represents an incredible opportunity for our two nations to exchange skills, ideas and technology. Every morning, over a million people get up and go to work for British companies in America, and over a million do the same for American companies in the UK.

    The UK is a low-tax, high-talent, innovation nation and I will show America’s biggest companies that we are ready to be their investment partner of choice.

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (26/09/2022) – 215 days

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (26/09/2022) – 215 days

    The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 26 September 2022.

    Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

    I held another meeting of the Staff today. The main focus is on the operational situation on the frontline. We heard the report by the Commander-in-Chief, commanders, head of intelligence, Minister of Defense. We discussed the use of new weapons by the occupiers, in particular, Iranian drones.

    We are constantly working to provide our warriors with weapons and ammunition. All active actions of the Ukrainian military must be synchronized with the use of high-precision weapons. This is one of the basic priorities.

    The situation is particularly tough in the Donetsk region. We are doing everything to curb enemy activity. This is where our number one goal is right now, as Donbas is still the number one goal for the occupiers.

    Despite the obvious senselessness of the war for Russia and the occupiers’ loss of initiative, the command of the Russian military still drives them to their death. Constant attempts of the Russian offensive in the Donetsk region will surely go down in the history of wars as one of the most cynical murders of one’s own soldiers. When we see this, when we see these offensives, we are once again convinced that the Russian mobilization is a frank attempt to give commanders on the ground a constant stream of “cannon fodder.” There is simply no other point in the Russian mobilization.

    They felt that they will lose, and they are simply trying to delay this moment, to ensure at least some activity at the front, to replace the dead with at least someone with weapons in their hands.

    Unfortunately, Russian society is not yet aware of all the brutality of the Russian government towards its own people. But we must do everything so that every citizen of Russia recognizes that his own state is depriving him of the most important thing – the right to life.

    I spoke today with Mark Rutte, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. In particular about the criminal mobilization that Russia is carrying out in the occupied territory, trying to throw our citizens to death under the Russian flag. We also talked about sham referenda – the world’s reaction to them and to any further steps taken by the occupiers will be tough.

    I am thankful to the Prime Minister for his clear support and willingness to increase sanction pressure on Russia. We coordinated our steps in international organizations, discussed defense cooperation.

    I held a meeting with the head of our Government, Denys Shmyhal. We summarized the results of our international activity in September, the results of contacts with partners.

    No matter how difficult it is, the state fulfills all its social obligations. We are carrying out work as part of Fast Recovery, returning normal life to the territory liberated from the occupiers. We are taking the necessary steps in preparation for the winter period.

    I took part in the launch of a special investment fund to support our Ukrainian entrepreneurs and export-oriented companies. The fund has already attracted 125 million dollars, and the amount will be doubled. The most esteemed Western funds, banks and institutions have invested in this fund, Horizon Capital Growth – that’s what it’s called.

    I am grateful to everyone who prepared and implemented this investment project. And I believe that it can become a special signal for investors – a signal that it is possible and necessary to invest in the Ukrainian economy already now, as we are on the path to our victory.

    An important political and diplomatic event took place in the Office today. A project on the establishment of a Special International Tribunal to punish Russia for the crime of aggression against our state was presented to the ambassadors of thirty states – our partners.

    The difficulty of prosecuting Russia for this crime is that the existing international legal instruments are not enough. What is needed is a Special International Tribunal. And we are working on this project in great detail and meticulously. I have no doubt – the Tribunal will take place. Everyone who unleashed this criminal war against Ukraine and freedom in Europe will be brought to account.

    I thank everyone who defends our country! Today I especially want to celebrate the warriors who are defending Ukraine now in the Donetsk region. Warriors of the 93rd separate mechanized brigade “Kholodnyi Yar” and the 10th separate mountain assault brigade – for heroic defense in the Bakhmut direction. And I also want to praise the warriors of the 80th airborne assault brigade for their decisive and competent actions during the liberation of our territory. Thank you guys!

    A total of 2135 warriors of these three brigades have already been awarded state awards.

    Eternal glory to all those who gain victory for Ukraine!

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (25/09/2022) – 214 days

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (25/09/2022) – 214 days

    The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 25 September 2022.

    Ukrainians!

    Today we have great news. Maryana Mamonova, a combat medic, defender of Azovstal whom we freed from Russian captivity gave birth to a daughter. I sincerely congratulate Maryana from the bottom of my heart and wish the girls only the best – peace and victory.

    This is another proof that life always triumphs over any evil. And evil under the Russian flag is no exception to this rule.

    Now all our state structures, which are needed, are fully working to help our released warriors. Medical aid, social, legal… Treatment, rehabilitation, restoration of documents, bank cards, housing, etc.

    Rustem Umerov, pursuant to my instruction, visited our commanders from “Azovstal” in Turkey today. He checked their living conditions – the conditions are comfortable. The boys are provided with everything they need. Rustem controls that. Soon we will ensure that the boys meet their relatives and friends.

    This week, on Tuesday, I am to receive a clear plan for each of those released – how their normal lives will be restored. Just as the process of releasing our heroes from captivity, this process of normalization is managed by Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office. He is also assisted by Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as our ombudsman, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service, etc.

    I would like to emphasize: work is ongoing regarding the next exchanges. No matter how difficult it may be, we must free all our people, all Ukrainians. We do not forget about anyone.

    But we should still remember: it is not easy, it requires the efforts of many people, and it is directly related to the situation on the frontline. Our active actions include, in particular, the increase of those whom we can exchange. The more Russian soldiers are detained by Ukrainian forces, the faster we will be able to free our warriors, our heroes from Russian captivity.

    Fierce fighting takes place in many sections of the front with a total length of more than 2,000 kilometers. This is the Donetsk region, this is our Kharkiv region, Kherson region, as well as Mykolaiv and Zaporizhia regions. We have positive results in several directions.

    And no matter what happens this week in Russia, no matter what steps the terrorist state plans – political or military – the tasks of our state, the tasks of Ukraine, cannot change: we are fighting for life and freedom for all Ukrainians.

    This week there will be a new wave of our diplomatic activity. My new appeals to the political, business and student communities abroad. Our needs, our positions, our view on how to stop Russian evil will be heard everywhere in the world, absolutely everywhere.

    We will also make a special emphasis. Emphasis on the fact that criminal mobilization is used by Russia not only to prolong the suffering of people in Ukraine and to further destabilize the world, but also to physically exterminate men – representatives of indigenous peoples who live in the territories controlled so far, temporarily, by the Russian Federation.

    The situation in the occupied Crimea is catastrophic. The information about the Crimean Tatar people is fully confirmed: most of the mobilization letters are given there specifically to qırımlılar. This is another element of Russia’s policy of genocide, another reason for the immediate and tough reaction of the whole world.

    The same is happening on the territory of Russia itself. This is a deliberate imperial policy. This is a blow to the peoples of, for example, Dagestan and the entire Caucasus, to the indigenous peoples of Siberia and other territories.

    And I want to repeat it once again.

    Again in Russian, specially for Russian “comrades”.

    And this is not a kind of collection of peoples in Russia, not badges or flags somewhere on the map, no. These are not candy wrappers – these are real people.

    And only now you are beginning to hear it, yet still not everywhere.

    We see that people, in particular, in Dagestan, began to fight for their lives. We see that they are beginning to understand that this is a question of their lives. Why should their husbands, brothers, sons die in this war? In a war that one man wants. In a war against our people, on our land. He does not send his children to war.

    Fight to ensure that your children are not sent to die – everyone who can be taken by this criminal Russian mobilization. Because if you come to take the lives of our children – I will tell you as a father – we will not let you go alive.

    I want to emphasize once again: there is a way out. Do not submit to criminal mobilization. Flee. Or surrender to Ukrainian captivity at the first opportunity. I urge all our friends in the information field to spread this appeal. The more citizens of the Russian Federation at least try to protect their own lives, the sooner this criminal war of Russia against the people of Ukraine will end.

    I am thankful to everyone who fights and works for our victory! A difficult week is ahead. A difficult path. Difficult challenges. But ahead is our victory. And it is inevitable.

    This evening, I want to congratulate the Ukrainian Jewish community and all the Jews of the world on Rosh Hashanah. May all prayers for victory, all prayers for peace for Ukraine be heard.

    Keep defending Ukraine!

    Keep defending life!

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (24/09/2022) – 213 days

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (24/09/2022) – 213 days

    The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 24 September 2022.

    Ukrainians!

    Today, I signed the decree awarding the title of Hero of Ukraine to Serhiy Sova. A fighter of the glorious 93rd mechanized brigade “Kholodnyi Yar”. He has defended our state – Ukraine since the beginning of the war in 2014, fought for Pisky, for the Donetsk airport. After February 24, he fought in the Kharkiv region.

    Serhiy Sova gave his life for Ukraine. We’ve all seen the photo of his hand with blue and yellow bracelets on his wrist. He has worn them as a talisman since 2014. And this photo was one of the first from Izyum, from the mass burial site in the forest that was discovered when the occupiers fled. He was a true warrior and a father that one can be proud of. Eternal memory and honor to the hero!

    Eternal glory to all our warriors who gave their lives in battles for our state!

    Today I awarded the honorary award “For Courage and Bravery” to three of our brigades. The 1st separate tank Siversk brigade, the 40th separate artillery brigade, the 57th separate motorized infantry brigade.

    Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, the fighters of the 1st separate tank brigade have performed their tasks with dignity and courage. First in the Chernihiv region, and now in the hottest spots of the south and east of our country. In six months, more than a thousand warriors of this brigade were awarded state awards.

    Units of the 40th separate artillery brigade defend the state in the Kharkiv direction and do it very bravely and effectively. The proven losses of the Russian army from the fire of this brigade of ours make it clear to all the occupiers that there will be no place for the enemy on our land.

    This month, the 57th separate motorized infantry brigade achieved good results in the south of our country, liberating a number of settlements in the Kherson region. During the period of the full-scale invasion of Russia, three warriors in the 57th brigade were already awarded the “Gold Star” Order and 275 servicemen received state awards.

    By the way, since the establishment of such an award for our military units – and it was established in May of this year – 46 military units have already been awarded for courage and bravery. Of them, 38 military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, four military units of the State Border Service, four military units of the National Guard. I am grateful to all of you, guys! Well done!

    The heroism and grit of our warriors, the striving for independence and justice, which united all our people, do not leave a single doubt that Ukraine will prevail and that all invaders on our territory will definitely be defeated. Unless they run away. Indeed, it is true.

    Once again I want to say to Russians in Russian.

    It was no coincidence that the criminal mobilization declared by Russia was immediately called a “mobilization to graves” by the citizens of Russia themselves. Mobilization to graves. The Russian authorities are well aware that they are sending their citizens to death – there are no other options.

    Russian commanders do not care about the lives of Russians – they just need to replenish the empty spaces left by the dead, wounded, those who fled or the Russian soldiers that were captured.

    Your government does not care who will take these places. Either young IT specialists who did not serve at all, or pensioners who served only in the Soviet army. So, the key moment has come for you: right now it is being decided whether your life will end or not.

    It is better not to take a conscription letter than to die in a foreign land as a war criminal.

    It is better to run away from criminal mobilization than to be crippled and then bear responsibility in the court for participating in the war of aggression.

    It is better to surrender to Ukrainian captivity than to be killed by the strikes of our weapons, absolutely fair strikes, as Ukraine defends itself in this war. We defend the brightest – we defend our lives, our children, our freedom.

    What is Russia fighting for? Every citizen of Russia knows – even if many do not admit it, they know for sure – that it is Russia that brings evil.

    Ukraine guarantees every Russian soldier who surrenders three things. First, you will be treated in a civilized manner, in accordance with all conventions. Second, no one will know the circumstances of your surrender, no one in Russia will know that your surrender was voluntary. And third, if you are afraid to return to Russia and do not want an exchange, we will find a way to ensure this as well.

    Ukraine will do everything for its victory. And every citizen of Russia should understand: no tricks will help the occupier. I promise you that.

    We will retaliate against every strike of the aggressor – at Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Nikopol, Donbas, at all our cities and regions… We will definitely liberate our entire country – from Kherson to the Luhansk region, from Crimea, I emphasize that, to the Donetsk region.

    We will not allow the occupier to go unpunished. Every murderer and torturer will be brought to justice for what he did against us, Ukrainians.

    Eternal glory to all our heroes!

    Glory to our indomitable people!

    Eternal memory to all those who gave their lives for our homeland – for Ukraine!

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (23/09/2022) – 212 days

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (23/09/2022) – 212 days

    The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 23 September 2022.

    Ukrainians!

    Today, the events in New York in the framework of our state’s participation in the session of the UN General Assembly are coming to an end.

    It was a productive week for Ukraine. Many different activities – with my participation, with the participation of the First Lady of Ukraine, with the participation of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

    Ukraine has shown that not only the truth, but also strength, initiative and confidence in victory are on our side. The world is always sensitive to such things. Who is really strong, and who pretends to be strong. Who really feels his strength, and who tries his best to conceal weakness and insecurity.

    At the General Assembly, Ukraine proposed a formula of peace, its way to the stabilization of international relations. And it was definitely heard by the world. The reaction to my speech at the General Assembly was really positive.

    Different countries equally wanted to hear specifics. Specifics on how to restore peace, how to end this war. Ukraine presented its vision. Clear, logical, fair and realistic.

    Five points. The first: punishment for the aggressor. The second: protection of life, that is, all the necessary assistance to our state in defense. The third point: restoration of security and territorial integrity. The fourth point: security guarantees. And the fifth: the determination to achieve all this together with us – the determination of the world majority.

    And what did Russia present? Once again, lame excuses, complaints and constant lying propaganda, which the world has got tired of long ago, but Russian representatives still repeat it. A striking contrast with us.

    I am grateful to all the heads of state, all the politicians, public figures, cultural and business leaders who expressed their support for us at the General Assembly and at all the events in America this week.

    In particular, I participated in a special meeting on food security. This is one of the key topics in the UN this year – it was Russian aggression that made it so urgent. The world is looking for means to protect people from hunger and price crisis, and Ukraine has something to offer. We constantly increase food exports, we help the UN Food Program, we send grain as humanitarian aid to the countries that need it – Ethiopia, Somalia. And Ukraine has never ever provoked any crisis in the food market. The world appreciates all this.

    Due to the decency of Ukraine and the constructive desire of our state to help others, we have a unique result: Russian propaganda is losing its influence even in the world where we still have to secure a strong information position, in particular in the countries of the Global South. These are Latin America, Africa, South Asia.

    Also this week I participated in several important formats of communication with investors. The summit under the auspices of Forbes – a meeting of the world’s largest businessmen engaged in philanthropy. Video conference with representatives of BlackRock and Goldman Sachs – important global players. Clinton Global Initiative. Each such event adds attention to Ukraine, adds specific projects and benefits to our state, strengthens our resilience, and brings our victory closer.

    The First Lady of Ukraine met in New York with Liz Truss, the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and it was a very substantive meeting. With First Lady of France Brigitte Macron. Together with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, she met with António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General. In total, she held almost 20 meetings.

    At the invitation of Charles Michel, Olena took part in the Women in Conflict forum, which took place within the General Assembly. She presented a special charity fund – the Olena Zelenska Foundation, in order to accumulate even more support for Ukrainians, specifically for the humanitarian direction – primarily education, medicine and the restoration of what was destroyed by Russian strikes. We are creating all the necessary institutional framework so that anyone in the world can help us as efficiently, quickly and reliably as possible.

    The Prime Minister of Ukraine held dozens of high-level meetings. Accents are clear. The situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The expansion of defense, financial and sanction support. Support in preparing our country for winter, support in reconstruction. During each meeting, there was an emphasis that Russian terror must receive a clear global response – military, economic and legal, including the recognition of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.

    Our proposals for security guarantees for Ukraine, for Europe and the world – a project developed by the Yermak-Rasmussen group – were outlined in New York. Denys Shmyhal also met with the heads of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other major financial and investment organizations of the world. I am grateful to all of them for their support!

    It is important to note the negotiations with the Prime Minister of Japan, the country that will soon chair the G7 and the UN Security Council. We discussed our priorities. Negotiations took place with the Prime Minister of Iraq – this is a new partner for Ukraine, an important partner.

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs held more than 30 meetings, and the vast majority of them were with representatives of countries that are not our traditional partners. We are strengthening our position in relations with Africa, Asia and Latin America.

    Probably, this is the most meaningful and positive participation of Ukraine in the UN General Assembly in all years of our independence. The world not only talks about Ukraine, but also realizes that by helping Ukraine, it also helps solve urgent global problems and crises. We offer a way to make the world more stable and safer. The world heard it.

    A very important event took place today in Izyum, Kharkiv region. Representatives of almost twenty diplomatic missions – the Baltic states and Eastern Europe, Germany, France, Spain, Slovenia, Croatia, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, the EU Ambassador – saw with their own eyes what the Russian occupiers left behind. Ruined houses, torture chambers, mass burial site… The world will know full information about every crime committed by Russia in the temporarily occupied territories.

    The world will react absolutely justly to the sham referenda – they will be unequivocally condemned, and to the criminal mobilization that the occupiers are currently trying to carry out in Crimea and other parts of Ukraine, which they so far control. These are not just crimes against international law and the law of Ukraine. These are crimes against specific people, against the nation.

    Now in Crimea, in places of dense residence of qırımlılar, there are attempts to find and mobilize as many men as possible. We already have evidence of this. This is a deliberate attempt by Russia to destroy the Crimean Tatar people, this is a deliberate attempt by the aggressor state to take the lives of as many residents of the territory the Russian troops invaded as possible.

    I have a simple request to all our people in the temporarily occupied territory: do the main thing – save your lives and help us weaken and destroy the occupiers.

    Hide from the Russian mobilization by any means. Avoid conscription letters. Try to get to the free territory of Ukraine.

    But if you get into the Russian army, sabotage any activity of the enemy, hinder any Russian operations, provide us with any important information about the occupiers – their bases, headquarters, warehouses with ammunition. And at the first opportunity, switch to our positions. Do everything to save your life and help liberate Ukraine.

    Since the beginning of active actions in the east of our country in September, about 9 thousand square kilometers of territory and about 400 settlements have already been liberated. This tangible result was achieved in particular thanks to the fact that our people in the temporarily occupied territory helped us. Please do everything to increase such help.

    Give our special services all the information about those who organize and help conduct this farce with sham referenda. Provide all information about the Russian mobilization, about the Russian army in general. Help those in the occupied areas who need it: elderly people, single people, families with children. Ukraine will return to all its lands, and we must save as many of our people there as possible.

    Pursuant to my instruction, Head of the Office Andriy Yermak held a meeting today regarding assistance to Ukrainians whom we have freed from captivity. The Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, the Head of the National Guard, the ministers of internal affairs, defense, healthcare, social policy, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, our ombudsman were present. Our warriors must receive everything the necessary, real help, any assistance. The state knows how to be grateful to its heroes. I am waiting for a report at the beginning of the week with a specific plan on supporting each person.

    Today, the Russian army used Iranian drones for attacking the Dnipropetrovsk region and Odesa. I commissioned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide a tough response to this fact. The world will know about every fact of collaboration with evil, and it will have corresponding consequences.

    It has already been decided to deprive the Ambassador of Iran to Ukraine of accreditation, as well as to significantly reduce the number of diplomatic personnel of the Iranian Embassy.

    Six of these Iranian drones were shot down by our anti-aircraft troops of the “East” and “South” air commands. Another one was shot down by the anti-aircraft defense of the Naval Forces. In addition, the “Center” air command shot down a Russian strike aircraft and a helicopter today in the south of our country. And I was just informed about another Iranian combat drone shot down by the anti-aircraft troops of the “South” command.

    I am grateful to our warriors for accuracy!

    I am grateful to everyone who fights and works for the victory of Ukraine!

    I am grateful to everyone in the world who helps us protect life and freedom!

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (22/09/2022) – 211 days

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (22/09/2022) – 211 days

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

    Ukrainians!

    All our defenders!

    Today I want to say special words of gratitude. Gratitude to all our people who defend our state, defend independence.

    Ukraine held out after a full-scale attack by Russia. Ukraine managed to unite the world around the struggle for freedom. Ukraine managed to liberate a significant part of the territory the Russian troops invaded. Ukraine liberates people from Russian captivity.

    And Ukraine managed to change the course of the war so that every occupier, even the most inadequate one, felt that we can win and are moving towards victory.

    I am thankful to everyone who fights and works for this! For the sake of our victory.

    It is precisely to the fact of Ukrainian strength that the leadership of Russia reacts, changing tactics and trying to draw even more Russian citizens and resources into the war.

    Russia’s decision on mobilization is a frank admission that their regular army, which has been prepared for decades to take over a foreign country, did not withstand and crumbled. And now, due to mobilization, Russia’s war against Ukraine for the majority of Russian citizens is not something on TV or on the Internet, but something that has entered every Russian home.

    I’ve held a meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief today. The questions are clear. Frontline. Provision of our military. And new threats created by Russia.

    I will note right away: any decisions of the Russian leadership do not change anything for Ukraine. We should care only about our tasks. This is the liberation of our country, the protection of our people and the mobilization of global support for the implementation of our tasks.

    Diplomatic mobilization of the entire international community is now taking place.

    The circle of those who support us now is not limited to our traditional partners and those who openly supported our state after February 24. Now almost everyone supports us – this is the reaction to new Russian escalation steps.

    In particular, the farce with the preparation of sham referenda in the occupied territory demonstrates what happened in 2014 in Crimea and Donbas.

    And I am grateful to everyone in the world who supported us. Who clearly condemned another Russian lie.

    Grateful to President Biden and all American friends. To President Macron, Chancellor Scholz, the President of Finland and all our Polish brothers, the Baltic states, Mr. Borrell, Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, the OSCE and all Europeans from Iceland to Romania, who will never be deceived by Russia again.

    I am thankful to Britain for the support! Türkiye! Thank you Canada! Thanks also to all those who now privately express their support for Ukraine.

    When Russia declares that it supposedly wants negotiations, but announces mobilization… When Russia knows Ukraine’s clear position about the impossibility of a diplomatic process after Russia holds any sham referenda…

    Everything is clear to everyone. Russia itself buries the prospect of negotiations with its own hands.

    I will explain to the Russians what is happening in Russian.

    Protests against mobilization took place in the cities of Russia – albeit not massive, but they took place. And they take place. And this is an indicator. Not only in Moscow and St. Petersburg. We know the real mood in the regions of Russia.

    We see that people in Dagestan, in Buryatia, in other national republics and regions of Russia understand that they were simply thrown. Thrown to death.

    Why, for example, Dagestanis or anyone else should die in the Kharkiv region or near Donetsk? Because one person in Russia decided so – for all the citizens of Russia. There is no other reason. That’s what he wants.

    You are already accomplices in all these crimes, murders and torture of Ukrainians.

    Because you were silent. Because you are silent.

    And now it’s time for you to choose. For men in Russia, this is a choice to die or live, to become a cripple or to preserve health. For women in Russia, the choice is to lose their husbands, sons, grandchildren forever, or still try to protect them from death, from war, from one person.

    Just think about the number of people they want to take away!

    We know for sure that the conscription letters for 300,000 people were printed and signed in advance, even before this decision on mobilization appeared. Our intelligence has proven it. But the Russian leadership is preparing to take up to a million men into the army – this is the key thing they are now silent about.

    We know that they will take everyone indiscriminately. Not only the military in the reserve, but any men. Anyone who will be so intimidated that he will be more afraid of avoiding war than of dying in war.

    55 thousand Russian soldiers died in this war in six months. Tens of thousands are wounded and maimed. Want more? No? Then protest. Fight back. Run away. Or surrender to Ukrainian captivity. These are options for you to survive.

    Russian mothers! Have no doubt that the children of the top officials of your state will not be sent to the war against Ukraine. Those who make decisions in your country take care of their children. And they do not even bury your children.

    And we return ours.

    A very important briefing was held today. Head of the Office Yermak, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Budanov, Head of the Security Service Maliuk, Minister of Internal Affairs Monastyrskyi. They told the details of our operation to release 215 warriors, the details of the exchange. We do everything so that society and the world can see how Ukraine protects people and basic human values.

    Once again, I congratulate 215 families and our entire country on the return of the heroes.

    I am thankful to everyone who helps Ukraine!

    Eternal glory to all who fight for Ukraine!

    Glory to our indomitable and brave people!

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (21/09/2022) – 210 days

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (21/09/2022) – 210 days

    The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 21 September 2022.

    Ukrainians!

    We are bringing our people home. Exchange has just finished. Today we have 215 pieces of good news. 215!

    This is clearly a victory for our state, for our entire society. And most importantly, for 215 families who will be able to see their loved ones in safety.

    Hero of Ukraine Yevheniy Bova. Hero of Ukraine Lev Pashko. Hero of Ukraine Denys Prokopenko.

    And a total of 108 warriors of “Azov”, a total of 188 heroes of “Azovstal” and Mariupol. Eight people were wounded during the Russian terrorist attack in Olenivka. A total of 215 heroes!

    These are warriors of the National Guard, our army, the Navy, border guards, policemen, warriors of the territorial defense, employees of the Security Service of Ukraine and others.

    Dmytro Kozatskyi – the famous Orest, a photographer from “Azovstal”. Mykola Kushch and Kostiantyn Nikitenko – the militants sentenced them to death.

    Kateryna Polishchuk – “Ptashka”, Maryana Mamonova, Valentyna Zubko, Yana Shumovetska, Zoriana Repetska, Anastasia Chernenka.

    We remember all our people and try to save every Ukrainian. This is the meaning of Ukraine, our essence, this is what distinguishes us from the enemy… We value every life!

    And we will definitely do everything to save everyone who is in Russian captivity.

    This operation was prepared for quite a long time. And there are several components in the exchange.

    The first component: we exchanged one fan of Russia for 200 warriors. At first, we were offered to return 50 of our people in exchange for one of those in the detention center of the Security Service of Ukraine. We talked. We insisted. The number of 50 increased to 200. They are already in Ukraine. I think this is a good result.

    Although even more than 200… Because among the released Ukrainian women there are those who are preparing to become mothers. And I am especially happy that it has now become possible to return them to Ukraine.

    It is not a pity to give Medvedchuk in exchange for real warriors. He went through all the investigative actions provided for by law. Ukraine received from him everything necessary to establish the truth in the framework of criminal proceedings.

    The second component – in addition to 200 warriors, we returned five more combat commanders for whom we had to carry out the biggest, the longest, the most difficult fight. They were threatened with the worst. Five superheroes.

    In exchange for them, we gave 55 of those who deserve neither pity, nor sympathy, nor any words at all. Those who fought against Ukraine. And those who betrayed Ukraine. Those who we definitely do not need.

    Ukraine agreed with Türkiye – I spoke about this with President Erdoğan – that our five commanders who are being released from captivity will be in complete safety, in comfortable conditions and under the personal protection of the President of Türkiye. Until the end of the war. But we will provide the opportunity for their families to see them.

    Serhiy Volynskyi, Svyatoslav Palamar, Denys Prokopenko, Oleg Khomenko, Denys Shleha. Once again, I am thankful to President Erdoğan!

    And, of course, we helped our friends – this is a matter of honor for Ukraine, a matter of our gratitude for helping our country. We managed to liberate 10 foreign citizens who were in Russian captivity.

    Earlier we discussed this with Boris Johnson – he asked for assistance. With American friends. Now the following people will return home: five citizens of Great Britain, two citizens of the United States, one citizen of Morocco, one citizen of Sweden, one citizen of Croatia. The enemy sentenced them to a long prison term or the death penalty. We saved their lives.

    All of them will return home through the mediation of Saudi Arabia. I am sincerely grateful to everyone who contributed for your help!

    And I want to name those people thanks to whom we have these 215 pieces of good news today.

    On the Ukrainian side, a pretty powerful group deals with the issue of release. It is managed by four: Head of the Office Yermak, Head of our intelligence Budanov, Head of the Security Service Maliuk and Rustem Umerov. And I also thank their team – Dmytro Usov, Ombudsman Lubinets, Minister Monastyrskyi.

    Thank you, guys, for this Ukrainian success!

    Already tomorrow we will introduce some other members of our group, which is working to save our people from captivity. We will also provide more details of this exchange. Please wait for the corresponding briefing.

    Thank you once again to everyone who ensured this victory for Ukraine!

    Congratulations to all our defenders who are returning home!

    We remember everyone!

    Glory to Ukraine!