Tag: President of Ukraine

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

Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva held a meeting with the delegation of the leadership of the committees of the national parliaments of Finland and the Baltic countries.

The meeting was attended by the heads of the foreign affairs committees of the Parliament of Finland Jussi Halla-aho, Estonia – Marko Mihkelson, Latvia – Rihards Kols, Lithuania – Laima Liucija Andrikienė.

Ihor Zhovkva informed the foreign parliamentarians about the current security situation in our country in the context of ongoing Russian aggression. He called for maximum efforts to increase the volume of heavy weapons provided to Ukraine, as well as increase the sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation.

In this regard, Ihor Zhovkva expressed gratitude to the participants of the meeting for signing, together with the heads of the parliamentary committees of Denmark, Poland and the Czech Republic, the Joint Statement on strengthening sanctions against Russia for the war being waged against Ukraine.

“An important element of the sanctions should be restrictions at the level of the European Union on issuing visas to Russian citizens,” Ihor Zhovkva emphasized.

The interlocutors discussed the prospects for the participation of the Baltic countries and Finland in a large-scale initiative for the reconstruction of Ukraine, in particular through patronage over one of the regions or cities of our state or the implementation of specific projects.

During the meeting, the status of Ukraine’s implementation of the recommendations of the European Commission necessary for further advancement of Ukraine on the way to EU membership was also discussed in detail.

“The implementation of the recommendations of the European Commission is an ambitious and at the same time realistic task. We consolidated the work of all branches of the Ukrainian government in order to move to the next stage in 2023 – the start of negotiations on joining the EU,” Ihor Zhovkva said.

The heads of the committees of the national parliaments of Finland and the Baltic countries confirmed the unchanging support for the European integration strategy of Ukraine and their determination to provide the necessary expert assistance in the context of our country’s further progress towards membership in the European Union.

Special attention was paid during the meeting to the issue of the activities of the Crimea Platform. The Deputy Head of the Office of the President thanked Finland and the Baltic countries, which were represented at the level of heads of state at the online summit of the initiative held on August 23, 2022.

Ihor Zhovkva emphasized that Ukraine will continue work aimed at the de-occupation of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. For this purpose, our state will initiate the holding of the first parliamentary summit of the Crimea Platform in the near future.

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

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a telephone conversation with President of the United States of America Joseph Biden.

The Head of State expressed his gratitude to the President of the United States and to the American people for the powerful assistance, both security and macro-financial, provided by the United States to counter the Russian aggression.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy specifically noted yesterday’s announcement of Joseph Biden to provide Ukraine with an unprecedented assistance package worth $6 billion – $3 billion in defense aid, as well as the channeling of $3 billion of financial aid through the World Bank. “This is the best gift for Ukraine on its Independence Day,” the President said, expressing particular gratitude for the inclusion of NASAMS anti-aircraft missile systems in this new aid package. “These modern air defense systems will help us protect our cities from missile terror,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

The importance of further macro-financial support of Ukraine was also noted. Volodymyr Zelenskyy highly appreciated the leadership of the United States on this track.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed Joseph Biden about the scale of destruction of the housing and infrastructure in Ukraine. The President proposed to enhance bilateral coordination in order to resolve immediate issues related to reconstruction of the destroyed critical infrastructure.

The Head of State informed the U.S. President in detail about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and the global risks it can cause. The leaders concurred on the need to return the Plant under the Ukrainian control and provide for the IAEA access, consistent with the accepted modalities.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Joseph Biden discussed strengthening sanction pressure on the aggressor state. “The free world must increase its pressure on the aggressor in order to force him to peace”, said the President of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed the importance of ironclad support by the United States of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Particularly, in the context of impermissibility of arranging by the aggressor of any illegitimate referendums on the Ukrainian soil.

The interlocutors discussed First Lady Olena Zelenska’s recent visit to Washington, which helped to consolidate support for Ukraine.

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

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Italian Republic Luigi Di Maio.

The Head of State thanked the Italian government and Prime Minister Mario Draghi, as well as the entire Italian society for supporting the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine.

“In recent months, we’ve built relations between our states, which helped Ukraine withstand the struggle for our independence. Italy became one of the leading states that supported Ukraine, our society, forcibly displaced citizens,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The President also thanked Italy for its financial and defense support.

The Head of State noted Mario Draghi’s leadership in supporting our country’s status as a candidate for joining the European Union.

“On the squares of the largest and even small cities in Italy, we have always seen our flags next to the Italian flags in support of our sovereignty and our candidacy,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President of Ukraine emphasized the importance of Italy’s leadership in the context of the preparation of the eighth package of sanctions against Russia. He also emphasized the need to introduce visa restrictions for Russian citizens.

“Separately, there is great political support from Italy within both the United Nations and our Second Summit of the Crimea Platform. I am grateful that the Prime Minister found time to personally support (the summit – ed.),” said the Head of State.

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

Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva held a meeting with the delegation of the international inter-parliamentary network “United for Ukraine”, which included 30 representatives of the national parliaments of 13 countries – members of the EU, Great Britain, Norway and the European Parliament.

Ihor Zhovkva noted the important role of the association in promoting the foreign policy agenda of Ukraine in the societies and parliaments of the represented states.

“A striking joint achievement was the unanimous support of all EU countries for granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union,” he emphasized.

The parties discussed in detail our state’s implementation of the recommendations of the European Commission necessary for the advancement of Ukraine on the way to EU membership.

“Implementation of the recommendations of the European Commission by the end of 2022 is quite realistic for us. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the team of the Office of the Head of State and all branches of government are united around this goal in order to move to the next stage in 2023 – the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. Work in this direction does not stop for a single day,” Ihor Zhovkva noted.

He informed the foreign parliamentarians about the current security situation in our country as a result of full-scale Russian aggression. The Deputy Head of the President’s Office called for maximum efforts to increase the amount of weapons provided to Ukraine, which stands guard over European security.

Ihor Zhovkva thanked the represented countries for the high level of participation in the Second Summit of the Crimea Platform, which after a year of work expanded the circle of participants, the network of countries lobbying for the deoccupation of Ukrainian Crimea. This year, 60 representatives of states and international organizations from five continents took part in the summit.

“The deoccupation of Crimea and at the same time the restoration of civilized rules of the world order should become our joint story of success,” summed up the Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

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

The negotiation process with Russia to end the war is now disadvantageous for both Ukraine and Europe, as any temporary truce would mean continued aggression by the Russian Federation in the future. Mykhailo Podolyak, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, stated this in an interview with Bild.

“Today’s negotiation process will seal a temporary truce in a war that will not end. Accordingly, the Russian Federation will consider this a victory and will continue to claim to advance its expansionist policy. Therefore, the truce now will only mean the next stage of the war after a certain time,” he noted.

Mykhailo Podolyak also noted that in the event of such an incomplete end to the war, many of our citizens will not risk returning to Ukraine, and investments will not come.

“This will be a growing gray area that will constantly put pressure on Europe. Europe will be forced to constantly invest large amounts of money here in order to somehow maintain this territory in a viable state. This is not beneficial for Europe in the medium and long term,” says the Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

According to him, the negotiation process is not in the interests of Germany and other EU countries today, as it will provoke Russia to more daring behavior in the economic, political and diplomatic terms.

Mykhailo Podolyak noted that the quality of life is significantly reduced in Ukraine due to the war, and a certain deterioration will also be observed in Europe.

“But this is the price for such an intense war, unprecedented since World War II. And this war needs to be ended properly if you don’t want to pay all the time,” he emphasized.

It will be possible to start talks about negotiations with the aggressor state only when the last hope of the Russian Federation to defeat Ukraine by military means collapses, the Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President is convinced.

“Only after Russia realizes that it can no longer wage war,” he concluded.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 24 August 2022.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a speech at the UN Security Council meeting dedicated to maintaining peace and security in Ukraine and called on the participants to hold Russia accountable for the crime of aggression against our country.

He told the members of the UN Security Council that today, as a result of a Russian missile attack on the Chaplyne railway station in the Dnipropetrovsk region, four passenger cars caught fire, at least 15 people died and about 50 were wounded.

“Rescuers are working. But, unfortunately, the number of dead may still increase. This is how we live every day. This is how Russia prepared for this meeting of the UN Security Council,” the President noted.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that today the Russian Federation has put the world on the brink of a radiation disaster, as the Russian troops have made the territory of the ZNPP – the largest nuclear power plant in Europe – a combat zone.

“Because of Russia’s armed provocations, because of shelling, because of the deployment of terrorists under the Russian flag on the territory of the plant. Now all of Europe and all neighboring regions are under the threat of radiation pollution,” he said.

The President insists that the IAEA mission must take permanent control of the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as soon as possible, and Russia must unconditionally stop nuclear blackmail and completely leave the plant.

In addition, the Head of State drew the attention of the members of the UN Security Council to the fact that in the XXI century we have to fight artificial famine in various countries provoked by Russia’s aggression.

“I am thankful to the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Guterres, and Türkiye, Mr. President, as well as all other conscientious subjects of international relations who are fighting against the food crisis, which only Russia is responsible for. And in the coming weeks, we must do everything to expand the existing grain export initiative,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed.

He also noted that the Russian Federation is deliberately trying to provoke an energy crisis and deprive tens of millions of people of normal access to basic goods by raising energy prices.

“Energy crisis for Europe, threat of large-scale famine, political chaos for African and Asian countries, price crisis for the whole world. Isn’t too much allowed to one state, whose representative is sitting among you?” the President addressed the participants of the meeting.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the Russian invaders killed thousands of Ukrainians and destroyed dozens of our cities with artillery. Russia does not adhere to basic conventions regarding prisoners of war.

“The deliberate murder by the Russian occupiers of our prisoners of war in Olenivka became one of the most dreadful pages in the history of Europe. And there is an urgent need for a UN fact-finding mission to Olenivka, whose mandate should be extended to all Ukrainian prisoners of war currently held by Russian forces,” he urged.

The Head of State emphasized: if Russia is not stopped now by the victory of Ukraine, all Russian murderers will inevitably end up in other countries as well.

“And we must all unite and act as resolutely as possible so that there are no more traces of Russian missiles and cities burned by Russian artillery anywhere else,” he said.

According to the President, so that there is never again the threat of a radiation disaster, Russia must leave the captured territory of Ukraine.

“So that there is never a food crisis again, Russia must leave our land and our sea. So that no country in the world can ever again disregard the UN Charter and conventions binding on all mankind, Russia must be held accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine,” the President emphasized.

“The relevant resolution will be submitted for consideration by the 77th session of the UN General Assembly. In order for a sense of justice to return to international relations, we must all confirm and force Russia to recognize that the inviolability of borders and peace are unconditional values for all nations,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy added.

The President supported the ambitious intention of UN Secretary-General António Guterres to organize the Summit of the Future next year. According to him, it will be very symbolic if this event takes place in Ukraine, as the future of the world is being decided on the territory of our country.

“In order to build the future, it is necessary to leave in the trashbox of history what has always prevented humanity from living in peace, namely aggression and colonial ambitions. That is, what Russia came to Ukraine with. And I believe that we will really be able to build the future,” the Head of State noted, adding that the issue of security of the whole free world is being decided at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, in our seaports, in Donbas and in Crimea.

“Our independence is your security,” the President summed up.

This is Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s third speech at the UN Security Council since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia. The participation of the President of Ukraine in this meeting was endorsed by 13 out of 15 delegations to the Security Council.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 24 August 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the Order of Freedom to Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson who is on a visit to our country.

“Today, on the day of our independence, which we celebrate in spite of everything, I have the honor to present on behalf of all Ukrainians the Order of Freedom to Boris. This award fully reflects what Boris did and does for our country and the whole of Europe,” said the Head of State.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the award is a manifestation of respect for Great Britain and gratitude to the entire British people for their strong support of Ukraine.

The head of the British government noted that the award is a recognition of his country’s efforts to help Ukraine.

In addition, the second symbolic plaque on the Walk of the Brave, which was opened the day before on Constitution Square in Kyiv, was dedicated to Boris Johnson.

“We are personally grateful to Boris Johnson for his leadership, grateful for all these months of support, grateful to the society of Great Britain for the great help that the great power – Great Britain – provided to us every day, constantly, during the full-scale invasion,” said the President of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine wants to thank all the leaders of the states who from the first days helped our country defend freedom and independence in the war against the Russian invader.

“We will thank not only in words, but also historically. Therefore, the name of Prime Minister of Great Britain Boris Johnson will appear on this Walk of the Brave today,” he said.

The Prime Minister of Great Britain noted that this award belongs to the entire British people that supports Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Boris Johnson also took part in the ceremony of cancellation of “Free. Unbroken. Indomitable” postage block, which was issued by Ukrposhta on the 31st anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. The postal block included a stamp with the image of a Ukrainian soldier and six stamps with illustrations showing the tragedy of a full-scale Russian invasion.

The illustrations are made in the form of a black and white chronicle with color accents. Each of the images is a separate tragic story that happened during the wartime in different regions of Ukraine. They are united by the word “war”. The stamps depict a woman standing in a high-rise on the ruins of a destroyed apartment; a mother and a child hiding from missile attacks in the subway; a girl in front of a pile of burnt cars; Drama theater in Mariupol with the signal inscription “Children”, which became the last refuge for many Ukrainians; Sviatohirsk Lavra, which was repeatedly attacked by the occupiers; baby stroller, abandoned suitcases and toys.

The postal block is made in a graphic style. The author of the block is Anton Khrupin, a young Ukrainian designer from Kramatorsk.

After the event, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Boris Johnson had a walk in Kyiv downtown.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 24 August 2022.

Today, the democratic world has seized the initiative in confronting the aggressor country, so it is necessary to preserve unity in order not to lose it and win the war that Russia has unleashed in Ukraine. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a conversation with media representatives following a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Kyiv.

“Strength in the world depends primarily on our strength. The strength within our state at the very beginning of the invasion demonstrated to the whole world what it is like to be united. We are all united. I think this signal is the most important and cannot be lost. People on the battlefield see this signal – what a strong united state is, with the army, with society,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The President noted that Russia will try to influence the situation in Europe and the world with the help of information weapons and energy, using the factor of the upcoming heating season.

He noted that it is difficult for the European Union to implement the next package of sanctions, because they affect the politics within the states, primarily the EU. So it is very important to stay united in this issue.

“You can’t freeze the conflict and you can’t say: let’s wait a year, two, three… This will be our weakness. Ukraine has no right to lose the initiative and should not allow Europe to lose the initiative. Today, the whole world has taken the initiative from the Russian Federation with great efforts. And our victory in this war is unification and the inadmissibility of losing this initiative,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

For his part, Boris Johnson expressed his belief that Ukraine’s partners will overcome difficult economic circumstances and come out of these ordeals even stronger, because they will not be vulnerable to blackmail from the Russian Federation.

“Europe must get rid of dependence on Russian gas. This will be a huge geopolitical change for Europe and a disaster for Putin,” he said.

According to the Prime Minister of Great Britain, there are difficult months ahead, politicians will need to explain to the population of their countries why this happened. “But we will overcome it and we will do it in unity,” he summed up.

The President of Ukraine also thanked the United States of America for providing perhaps the largest military assistance to Ukraine.

“They are the most powerful – both economically and in terms of political influence. And when we need weapons on the battlefield, we understand that their packages can help us faster and more. We are grateful for the help to President Biden personally, to Congress, for the bipartisan support. We are at a great distance from each other. But we have repeatedly emphasized – and the US sees it – that we are fighting for the same values,” the Head of State said.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 24 August 2022.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson who paid a visit to our country on the occasion of Independence Day of Ukraine.

The President noted that Boris Johnson is visiting Kyiv for the third time since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against our country. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine has a friend that not everyone is lucky enough to have.

“Today I thanked the Prime Minister for all the support we received from him as a leader and from the society of Britain – our reliable partner. This assistance really brings our victory closer. And we will definitely win, we are sure of that. The victory of freedom in Ukraine is the victory of freedom in Europe,” the Head of State said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his belief that the right of Ukrainians and all other nations who value freedom to live on their land will be defended.

During the meeting of the President of Ukraine with Boris Johnson, a number of important issues were discussed. In particular, the defense needs of our country, the situation around the ZNPP, the treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Attention was also paid to the participation of Great Britain in the reconstruction of Ukraine and to other economic issues.

“Prime Minister Johnson always said: what else can Britain do for Ukraine to win? I think this is the key meaning of relations between Great Britain and Ukraine, relations between our societies, friendly relations between us. This, in my opinion, is the most important thing that happened between our states. And this also does not give us the right to lose in this war, and we will definitely not lose with such friends,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The Head of State personally thanked Boris Johnson and Great Britain for standing with the Ukrainian people on Independence Day.

The Prime Minister, for his part, emphasized that Ukraine managed to resolutely repel the Russian invader, pushing him away from Kyiv and Kharkiv.

“We pay tribute to those who perished at the front due to Putin’s brutality. I am proud of the bravery of Ukrainians who continue to live their lives,” he said and noted that Ukrainians have demonstrated a strong desire for freedom.

Boris Johnson noted that his country will continue to support Ukraine in every possible way in the fight against the aggressor. In particular, Great Britain provides defense assistance and carries out training of Ukrainian servicemen.

“Now we must increase our support to Ukraine,” said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister of Great Britain also emphasized the importance of preventing the mitigation of sanctions against Russia. Also, in his opinion, it is inadmissible to start negotiations with Russia as long as it violates the territorial integrity of Ukraine and kills its citizens.

“This war can end in the only way – Ukraine will win. And Great Britain will stand by your side,” Boris Johnson emphasized.

The Prime Minister also noted that Great Britain will help in the reconstruction of our country. After all, Ukrainian schoolchildren in the frontline territories continue to get an education despite the difficult conditions.

“Our common goal is to ensure that these pupils, when they grow up, acquire all the qualifications necessary for life in a successful Ukraine. We will heal your cities and villages from the scars of this terrible war. We will make the country a flower noticeable by the whole world,” he said.

“I want people in my country to clearly understand what is at stake in Ukraine. This concerns your right to live in peace and freedom. But in fact, this concerns all of us when it comes to freedom and democracy,” Boris Johnson summed up.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 24 August 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal João Gomes Cravinho as part of his visit to Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy highly appreciated the fact that the Head of the Foreign Ministry of Portugal arrived in Ukraine precisely on the day of the 31st anniversary of the restoration of independence of our state.

“We are grateful that you arrived without paying attention to the sirens. I am glad that there are more and more people and states around Ukraine that are also not afraid of Russian aggression,” the President emphasized.

During the meeting, the parties exchanged views regarding the further support for our country by Portugal in strengthening the defense capabilities and increasing the sanctions pressure on Russia. In particular, the Head of State called for the introduction of visa restrictions against citizens of the Russian Federation.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Portugal for its participation in the Second Summit of the Crimea Platform and noted the importance of keeping the issue of deoccupation of Crimea on the international agenda.

Special attention was paid to the participation of Portugal in the restoration of the educational infrastructure of Zhytomyr, as well as educational institutions of the cities of Irpin and Bucha with the support of the municipality of the Portuguese city of Cascais. In this context, the President highly appreciated the humanitarian mission of the Portuguese Foreign Minister to the Zhytomyr region.

“The restoration of educational institutions that return our schoolchildren to school, students to universities and children to kindergartens is a priority for us. This is the first step towards the restoration of our state,” he said during the conversation.

“You are one of the first states that actually already join the program of recovery of Ukraine. We are grateful for that,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

He expressed hope that Portugal will join the recovery of Ukraine at the global level.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, for his part, noted that it is an honor for him to be in Ukraine on the 31st anniversary of its independence and to represent his country.

João Gomes Cravinho emphasized that he came to convey the words of solidarity and support – political, security and humanitarian – from the President, Prime Minister, government and people of Portugal.