Tag: President of Ukraine

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 30 April 2022.

On the Day of the Border Guard, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the defenders of the state border of Ukraine and presented awards to them.

“In the context of Russia’s full-scale brutal war against our independent state, against our strong people, we cannot afford to celebrate. Russian evil is still on our land, we must drive out the occupiers. And then we will celebrate. And it will definitely be after our victory. And now it is our duty to honor your contribution, the contribution of the Border Guard Service of Ukraine, each and every one to the common struggle of the Ukrainian people,” the President said, congratulating the border guards on their professional holiday.

The President stressed that the border guards were the first to face the invader and are now performing one of the most important tasks – controlling the border line, responding to enemy activity near the borders, protecting our land from insidious and cynical attacks by Russia.

“The protection of Ukraine from saboteurs and the enemy’s attempts to destroy our supply chains depends on the professionalism and efficiency of the State Border Guard Service. Border guards also provide normal economic ties with our partners in the western and southwestern parts of the border. Your service is one of the fundamental pillars of our protection. And I am grateful to everyone who defends the state border,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The Head of State thanked all the border defenders who, together with other soldiers, are fighting for freedom of Ukrainians, in particular those border guards who are heroically defending Mariupol.

The President stressed that the names of border guards who died in battles with the Russian aggressor are forever inscribed with gold letters in the pantheon of Heroes of Ukraine.

He expressed confidence that our state will protect its freedom in this war, and our people will defeat the Russian invaders who came to Ukrainian land to destroy us.

“Everyone who defends the Ukrainian state, fights for the opportunity to live freely in their own home, for freedom and security for their children, for peace for their parents – I am grateful to all of you, I wish all our soldiers to see victory soon. I wish happiness, well-being to your families, the families of all our defenders,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The attendees honored the memory of the fallen border guards with a moment of silence.

The President presented the border guards with state awards, as well as honorary and new military ranks. 12 servicemen were awarded the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky of various degrees, the Order of Danylo Halytsky, medals “For Military Service of Ukraine”, “For Impeccable Service” of the III degree and “Defender of the Homeland”. One officer was awarded the honorary title of “Honored Lawyer of Ukraine”. Five border guards were given new military ranks.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 29 April 2022.

Ukraine and Ukrainians are grateful to Poland and its people for the strong support they have provided to our country and our citizens since the first minutes of Russian aggression and continue to provide now. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Polish media.

“I want to thank the people of Poland, because this is unprecedented support for Ukraine. Unprecedented support for the Ukrainian people from the Polish people,” the President said.

According to him, Poland has sheltered 2.5 million Ukrainians who were forced to flee their homeland, to escape the war, and is now doing everything possible to ensure that they do not feel like refugees.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also stressed that he is personally grateful to Andrzej Duda and his wife Agata, who “showed a special attitude to Ukraine.”

The President also noted the fact that against the backdrop of the war, Ukraine and Poland managed to unite and push back to the background the historical issues they had before.

“Poland has a special relationship with Ukraine, and it seems to me that even the historical issues that the two countries have are insignificant compared to how united our countries have become since the beginning of this brazen war waged by Russia. Friendship, unity – we felt all this from Poland,” he said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he has been in constant contact with his Polish counterpart – every day or several times a day. This helped quickly approve joint decisions that facilitated the resolution of the situation at the borders and helped Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war. There was an understanding of the need to make quick decisions “without excessive bureaucracy” on crossing the border, which would help in a difficult situation, said the Ukrainian President.

“We decided to open (the border – ed.) by phone. Poland met Ukrainians not just as its neighbors but as a family, without checking, because there was no time to check the documents of each child,” said the President.

“Therefore, I am grateful for this – that Poland forgot about the bureaucracy, just as Ukraine did, and we had such a special relationship in the first days,” he added.

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it has finally become clear who is a friend and who is an enemy.

“And the understanding of who is historically our partner in the future has also emerged. We do not have two opinions. One opinion, one friend, one enemy – to unite and win the war. This is a completely understandable thing. When you do not waste time on unnecessary dialogues. You know for sure: there is an enemy, and here is a friend. And it’s simple, because it’s straightforward,” the President summed up.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 29 April 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he had discussed with Polish President Andrzej Duda the entry of Polish companies into the Ukrainian fuel market. He said this in an interview with Polish media.

“We are having a conversation with Poland – the Polish company came to us, met with our “Naftogaz” and the Minister of Energy. They really want to enter our market of gas station business. We have a large open network. I think they will enter,” the Head of State said.

According to him, this issue was discussed with the President of Poland. It was also discussed by the Prime Ministers of the two countries.

In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine has recently joined the European energy network ENTSO-E under an accelerated procedure. This happened despite the war thanks to the successful work of Ukrainian specialists.

The President noted that this year our state has passed the examination – disconnected from the Russian and Belarusian energy systems for some time and was to join the EU energy system next year, but it happened in 2022.

“We had to show the European Union that we were ready. And we were ready. This probationary period – so it happened – has become permanent, we have joined these networks. Yes, it will help Ukraine a lot,” the President said.

He thanked President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Charles Michel for their support on this path.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is convinced that Ukraine, for its part, will also help European countries in supplying energy.

“Our nuclear generation is very large. We will be able to sell electricity at normal prices, and not do artificially for other countries to earn something,” he said, adding that Ukraine’s accession to the European market will lead to lower electricity prices, which will benefit consumers.

At the same time, according to the President, there are a number of technical issues that are difficult to resolve quickly in the face of armed aggression by Russia.

The President also said that he addressed IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi during his visit to Kyiv regarding assistance in unblocking the Zaporizhzhia NPP from the Russian occupiers.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 28 April 2022.

Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva held a video conference with Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery of Austria Karoline Edtstadler.

Ihor Zhovkva thanked Austria for the warm welcome of about 50,000 Ukrainians who were forced to flee their homes, and praised the initiative of the Federal Chancellery to double the funds raised through the charity event “Neighbor in Need.”

During the conversation, the parties discussed the need for the European Union to strengthen sanctions on Russia.

“We count on Austria’s support for the soonest possible approval of the sixth sanctions package, which should definitely include an oil embargo and disconnection of all Russian banks from the SWIFT system. It is necessary to put an end to the financing of Russia’s aggression through the purchase of Russian energy resources,” Ihor Zhovkva stressed.

Austria’s clear position on maintaining European unity on the refusal to pay for gas supplies with Russian rubles was noted.

The interlocutors paid special attention to Ukraine’s priorities in the field of European integration. The Deputy Head of the Office of the President briefed Karoline Edtstadler on the latest achievements in this area. Ihor Zhovkva expressed disappointment with the recent statements by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Alexander Schallenberg, which do not contribute to the achievement of our country’s main goals of European integration. Ihor Zhovkva is convinced that the expected positive recommendation by the European Commission based on the results of the review of Ukraine’s answers to the questionnaire will allow EU member states to support Ukraine’s acquisition of EU candidate status in June this year.

The Deputy Head of the Office of the President called on the Austrian side to support the European Commission’s proposal to abolish customs tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian industrial and agricultural products.

Also expectations were expressed that an agreement between Ukraine and the EU on the liberalization of road transport would be signed as soon as possible.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 28 April 2022.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasizes that in the event of any pseudo-referendums in the occupied territories they will not be recognized by Ukraine and the world and will complicate possible negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. The President made this statement during a meeting with media representatives following talks with UN Secretary-General António Guterres in Kyiv.

“I believe that it is impossible and will not be possible to annex one or another part of our territories by force,” the President stressed.

He reminded that in the occupied cities Ukrainians protested against the armed Russian occupiers.

“This (pseudo-referendum – ed.) will not bring anything, except that this is another complication of probable, at least some kind of probable negotiations between Ukraine and Russia… It seems to me that this is a complication of any negotiations,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to him, today there are questions of humanitarian aspects to Russia – to unblock people, as well as economic questions related to food security and unblocking sea routes.

“Many questions. If they want to complicate all this for the whole of Europe and the world, they can continue to play with these referendums, which will not yield any results – either current or historical,” the President concluded.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 28 April 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres who arrived in Kyiv.

The President noted the importance of the UN Secretary-General’s visit to Ukraine, as today it is our country that defends the principles of the United Nations Charter.

Before the meeting with the President of Ukraine, António Guterres visited the suburbs of Kyiv and saw with his own eyes the horrible war crimes of Russia in our country.

“I am grateful to Mr. Guterres for the clear and unequivocal position on the war against Ukraine. We appreciate your efforts to use the “good offices” mechanisms to de-escalate the situation. Every opportunity must be used to achieve peace,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with media representatives following talks with the UN Secretary-General.

According to him, during the conversation the parties touched upon the issue of establishing a special international tribunal on Russia’s crimes.

“For its part, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission must continue to document all crimes committed by the Russian Federation and the Russian military,” the President said.

The President of Ukraine and the UN Secretary-General also discussed the support for Ukrainians through cash payments, increasing humanitarian aid to Ukraine, as well as the importance of involving the UN in the post-war reconstruction of our state.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and António Guterres also paid attention to the food crisis provoked by the war.

“Ukraine is literally giving bread to almost 400 million people on the planet. And now the UN recognizes that rising food prices this year will cause famine for at least 47 million people in 81 countries,” said the President.

The interlocutors discussed how to do everything possible for Russia to unblock Ukrainian ports for food exports.

For his part, António Guterres stressed that the UN considers the Russian invasion of Ukraine a violation of the territorial integrity of our state and the Charter of the United Nations.

The UN Secretary-General noted that he is determined to enhance the support for Ukrainian citizens, help save lives and minimize suffering, and find a way to peace.

António Guterres informed about the work of the UN together with the Ukrainian government and organizations to provide assistance to Ukrainians. According to him, the UN has already provided humanitarian aid to 3.4 million people in Ukraine, and intends to support 8.7 million people by the end of August. The United Nations is also ready to provide financial assistance.

In addition, the UN supports the countries that have sheltered Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war and internally displaced persons in Ukraine.

According to António Guterres, the WHO provides medical supplies for emergency care, treatment of injuries for more than 7 million people. Efforts are being made to support the first aid system and so on.

António Guterres also stressed the importance of the work of the International Criminal Court.

“Now we are at ground zero as regards the world we need to build. A world of respect for international law, the UN Charter, and the power of multilateralism. A world where civilians have protection. Where human rights are a priority. Where leaders live up to the declared values they have committed to. It is also a struggle, but we must win it for the sake of every country, community and person around the world,” said the Secretary-General.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 28 April 2022.

During the negotiations in Kyiv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UN Secretary-General António Guterres discussed the evacuation of Ukrainian citizens from the Russian-besieged city of Mariupol in the Donetsk region, including the Azovstal plant.

The Ukrainian Head of State noted that António Guterres discussed this issue during his recent visit to Russia.

“We see that despite the words of the Russian President about the alleged cessation of hostilities in Mariupol, the territory of the Azovstal plant is under barbaric bombing by the Russian army. And this continued even during the talks of the Secretary-General in Moscow,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with media representatives following the negotiations with António Guterres.

He stressed that Ukraine is ready for urgent talks to evacuate people from Mariupol and hopes that the participation of the UN Secretary-General in this mission will be effective.

The Head of State also called on António Guterres to make efforts to stop the deportation of Ukrainian citizens to Russia, gain access to the forcibly deported and return them to their homeland as soon as possible.

Answering journalists’ questions, the President expressed hope that with the participation of the UN Secretary-General he would be able to bring people back alive from Mariupol.

For his part, António Guterres assured that he is doing everything possible to save people in Mariupol.

“I want to tell you, Mr. President, and the people of Ukraine: we do not give up. We will continue to call for a complete ceasefire, as well as for immediate practical measures to save lives and minimize human suffering. Effective humanitarian corridors, local cessation of hostilities, safe routes for civilians and victims. Today, the residents of Mariupol need just such a step,” he said.

The UN Secretary-General stressed that thousands of civilians in the city – the elderly, the sick and persons with reduced mobility – need vital assistance.

“They need a rescue route to leave this hell,” said António Guterres.

The UN Secretary-General said that during his recent visit to Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed in general to involve the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross in the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal. “Today, Mr. Zelenskyy and I had the opportunity to discuss this issue. Intensive discussions are currently underway to implement this proposal,” said António Guterres.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 28 April 2022.

Ukraine seeks to elaborate a document on guarantees of our security, which would provide maximum and real protection for our country, said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“We want to get the maximum for our country and our people. Maximum. And there will be such guarantees,” the Head of State said, answering questions from the media representatives after a meeting with Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov in Kyiv.

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after the Budapest Memorandum proved its ineffectiveness, Ukraine is not interested in any new “patchwork umbrellas”.

“Sometimes it’s better to have nothing and know that you are alone with the enemy than to have a large circle of friends, partners who in fact will not protect you,” he said.

That is why, according to the President, Ukraine seeks to elaborate a thorough document that will really work.

“This time we are very serious and balanced about the future document. And about the circle of partner countries, which should not let us down in case of any aggression in the future,” the Head of State stated.

As Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted, after the end of the current war, Russia will not disappear from the eastern border of Ukraine, so we need a fundamental document that will allow our state to coexist with such a neighbor in the future.

The Head of State said that the draft document is currently being prepared at the level of security advisers to the leaders of the countries, which will later join the circle of guarantors of Ukraine’s security.

“When everything is ready, I think our society, our journalists will definitely see the details of future agreements,” the President concluded.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 28 April 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held negotiations with Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov who is on a visit to our country.

“Today we held meaningful talks, discussed all the key issues that deserve attention right now in such difficult conditions,” the Ukrainian Head of State said during a meeting with media representatives following the talks.

The President stressed that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been going on for 64 days already. The aggressor attacks both military and civilians, destroys infrastructure. But our state is fighting back, and Russia will achieve nothing but “contempt and condemnation from all decent people in the world.”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Kiril Petkov for the fact that Bulgaria, like the whole civilized world, stands in solidarity with Ukraine today.

“Our state now needs the support of our reliable friends more than ever to defend the right to life, to our own state, to the European future for our people. But this struggle is not only for Ukraine. Now in Ukraine we defend the values of the whole of Europe, the whole world. And right now, in Ukraine, it is being decided whether other nations of Europe will be able to live freely, to live democratically,” the President is convinced.

According to him, during today’s meeting with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, cooperation was initiated to repair Ukrainian military equipment at Bulgarian production facilities.

“It is very important for Ukraine. I am sure that such cooperation will be beneficial for both Bulgarian companies and Bulgarian economy. And for us, quality and time are very important, because we fight every day,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

The issue of cooperation in the energy sphere was also raised. According to the President, Ukraine is ready to supply electricity to Bulgaria and is also interested in diversifying gas supplies in the region, in particular by using the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline together with the Bulgarian side.

In addition, according to the President, an agreement was reached to establish the transportation of agricultural products from Ukraine through the Bulgarian port of Varna on the Black Sea coast. For its part, the Ukrainian side will provide the necessary assistance to resolve as soon as possible the issue with the Bulgarian ship blocked in the Chornomorsk sea port.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Kiril Petkov for the government’s position in support of the European Union’s sanctions policy.

“I want to emphasize that sanctions against Russia are needed only to force Russia to seek peace. For this to happen, sanctions must be effective, strong and not allow Russia to circumvent the restrictions. I hope that Bulgaria will continue to support the strengthening of sanctions for this war,” he said.

During the meeting, the interlocutors paid special attention to Ukraine’s movement towards EU membership. The President thanked the Prime Minister of Bulgaria for the clear and consistent support for Ukraine’s European future.

“In February, at our meeting in Munich, we signed a joint declaration on Ukraine’s European perspective. Today, I received assurances that Bulgaria will support the decision to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate country for accession to the European Union at the next meeting of the European Council. I am very glad that our partners recognize that Ukraine has deserved an accelerated procedure for joining the EU,” the President said.

The President also thanked Kiril Petkov for his personal initiative to raise funds in Bulgaria in support of Ukraine.

“By your own example, you inspire thousands of your fellow citizens to continue to show solidarity with our Ukrainian people. More than 90,000 Ukrainians, mostly women and children fleeing the horrors of war, have found shelter in Bulgaria. We are grateful to the Bulgarian people for their hospitality, support and really touching attitude,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The President of Ukraine noted Bulgaria’s readiness to take part in the post-war reconstruction of our country, in particular one of the southern regions. He stressed that the high level of cooperation between Ukraine and Bulgaria and sincere mutual understanding prove that we are one European family united by a common past and, most importantly, a common future.

Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov, for his part, expressed support for our state. He noted that his country is ready to promote the export of electricity from Ukraine, can offer the port of Varna as a logistics hub, in particular for flour, and help use the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline.

According to him, Bulgaria will be happy to help and join the reconstruction of Ukraine. The Prime Minister also responded positively to Ukraine’s request to repair and restore military equipment.

“It is important for Bulgaria that Ukraine moves to the European Union. It is time to say that Ukraine belongs to the EU and the European family. We must give a clear signal and show a clear path. You have the support of Bulgaria,” Kiril Petkov summed up.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 27 April 2022.

With the participation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities was held to discuss the functioning of the state during the war. The event was held as a video conference.

The President said that the first meeting of the Congress during Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine took place today.

The audience observed a minute of silence in tribute to the memory of all citizens who gave their lives for the homeland.

The participants of the event discussed the Plan of postwar reconstruction of Ukraine, as well as the creation of comfortable living conditions for all those who were forced to leave their homes due to the war. In particular, it was a question of providing migrants with housing.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Executive Secretary of the Presidium of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, spoke about the task of creating a database of needs of all settlements of Ukraine and developing a concept for them, taking into account the needs of communities. To this end, 14 infrastructure clusters have been created that need to be rebuilt or upgraded. Cities and regions are invited to provide comprehensive information on relevant needs by early May.

According to Tymoshenko, today the state has to give almost 600,000 apartments to provide housing for displaced persons. Given the scale of the needs, the approach of building from scratch was chosen, as well as the purchase of ready-made apartments from developers.

The President said that IDPs should be provided with comfortable temporary housing for the period they need. He also called for all necessary amendments to the regulations so that new housing in Ukraine must be built with comfortable bomb shelters, and the old housing stock should be equipped in accordance with the needs of public safety.

Zelenskyy also set a task to prepare plans for the reconstruction of cities, towns and communities affected by the Russian invasion.

“There will be a combination of finance, specialists and technology, which will simply be passed on to us by our partners. We need a clear ambitious plan to engage them in this project, so that they give us their architects, and we connect them with our specialists,” the President said, urging not to wait for the end of the war.

Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov told the meeting participants that the damage caused to the infrastructure as a result of the war reached almost $90 billion. First of all, this is railway, road and bridge infrastructure. He informed about the pace of road rehabilitation and reconstruction of bridges in the liberated territories and said that the ambitious goal is to rebuild the infrastructure in one or two years.

According to Minister of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine Oleksiy Chernyshov, a new regional development strategy is already being shaped in the country. He said that during the reconstruction of the country, all the best world practices of urban development will be applied, taking into account the needs of energy efficiency, the availability of modern supply systems, security and inclusiveness.

In addition, the Congress considered the assistance that the central government of Ukraine can provide to the temporarily occupied communities.

In particular, Mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov spoke about the experience in providing all necessary payments and preventing the humanitarian crisis in the city.

Minister of Finance Serhiy Marchenko briefed on measures for stable and continuous functioning of the budget sphere and implementation of the government’s commitments, financial support of the population. He also spoke about raising funds from international partners and selling war bonds.

In addition, the participants discussed the interaction of law enforcement agencies and local authorities during martial law.

Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denys Monastyrsky reported on measures to ensure compliance with curfew conditions, evacuation of the population, demining of territories and dismantling of the debris appeared due to hostilities.

Members of the Congress also heard information on the development of the territorial defense system, the systematization of the activities of voluntary formations of territorial communities.

Following the discussion, the President instructed the Interior Minister together with Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny and Commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces Yuriy Halushkin to hold a meeting to regulate weapons handling in non-combat areas.