Tag: President of Ukraine

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

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has approved a decision to create a special mechanism of justice in Ukraine to investigate and prosecute every crime of the Russian occupiers in our country.

“The essence of this mechanism is the joint work of national and international experts: investigators, prosecutors and judges. This mechanism will help Ukraine and the world bring to concrete justice those who unleashed or in any way participated in this terrible war against the Ukrainian people and in crimes against our people,” the Head of State informed

According to the President, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the National Police, the Security Service, intelligence and other structures within their competence must make every effort to ensure that this mechanism works immediately.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also called on all Ukrainian citizens and friends of Ukraine in the world to join this work and help establish justice.

“The world has already seen many war crimes. At different times. On different continents. But it is time to do everything possible to make the war crimes of the Russian military the last manifestation of such evil on earth. Everyone guilty of such crimes will be included in a special Book of Torturers, will be found and punished,” the President noted.

In addition, the Head of State noted that all partners of Ukraine will be informed in detail about what was happening in the temporarily occupied territory of our state.

“War crimes in Bucha and other cities during the Russian occupation will also be considered by the UN Security Council on Tuesday,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

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

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with the economic blocs of the Office of the President and the Cabinet of Ministers.

The parties discussed the state of the Ukrainian economy in the second month of our country’s resistance to Russia’s military invasion, as well as considered forecasts for its development in the near future.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the Ukrainian state spends about $ 10 billion a month on hostilities. The sources of expenditure financing were discussed at the meeting, including own tax revenues and assistance from Ukraine’s international partners. In the same context, the prospects for the transition to a simplified taxation system scheduled for April were touched upon.

The participants of the meeting also discussed the sowing campaign, in particular the provision of fuel to farmers. Ways to diversify fuel imports and protect Ukraine’s energy infrastructure from Russian military bombing were discussed.

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

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola who arrived in Kyiv.

The interlocutors discussed the coordination of European parliaments in support of Ukraine.

“I would like to sincerely thank you personally, Roberta, and all your team for the fact that at such an important moment for our country, when Ukrainians believe in deeds and concrete steps, you demonstrate heroism to come to Ukraine. And today it is heroism,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that this visit is an important step in support of Ukrainians.

The Head of State noted that the result of his previous phone conversations with Roberta Metsola was her appeal to MEPs and the world community to support Ukraine, and this is highly appreciated by the Ukrainian people.

“You have led a country of extremely brave men and women fighting for freedom and democracy. I came to Ukraine not only to confirm our solidarity, not only to continue working on the wording of our resolutions, in which we say that Ukraine is part of our European family, because you are fighting for us, for fundamental principles that the European continent has upheld for centuries. I would also like to make sure that you have everything you need to win this war. Because if you win, the whole world will win,” said Roberta Metsola.

She also said that she would like to give Ukrainians who have fled the war and found refuge in other European countries a new perspective that they will return to beautiful Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Head of State spoke about the situation on the frontline and stressed the importance of continuing and intensifying sanctions pressure on Russia. He pointed out that some sanctions turned out to be just a formality, and “holes” were quickly found in some of them.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that new sanctions packages should appear weekly and be painful for Russia until it gives up aggressive actions. At the same time, sanctions pressure on Russia must be reinforced with the defensive support for our state.

According to the President of Ukraine, the world must put pressure on Russia to force it to sit down at the negotiating table and seek peace. But this will not happen if the Russian Federation continues to feel impunity for any of its actions.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke, in particular, about Russia’s blockade of navigation in the Black Sea. According to him, this threatens global food security and may result in high prices for the exported Ukrainian agricultural products.

Finally, the Head of State awarded Roberta Metsola the Order of Princess Olga of the I degree for a significant personal contribution to the consolidation of international support for Ukraine in countering Russian aggression.

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

The European Union, the United States and its allies are already working to block Russia’s cash flow from energy exports as the Kremlin’s main source of geopolitical influence. This is stated in a joint article by Adviser to the President of Ukraine on Economic Affairs Oleh Ustenko and former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management Simon Johnson for Project Syndicate.

The authors note that Russia occupies a significant place in world energy markets. It supplies 40% of the gas consumed in the European Union and also exports about 2.85 million barrels of petroleum products such as diesel and aviation fuel.

“These fossil-fuel exports have enabled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its extreme violence against unarmed civilians and civilian infrastructure. Russian President Vladimir Putin apparently believes that no one can stand up to him because of the naked power that he can exert through energy markets. If the Europeans resist too much, he will cut off their gas. If the rest of the world cuts back on their purchases from Russia, the price of oil will rise – causing economic difficulties everywhere,” the article reads.

But, according to the authors, Vladimir Putin underestimated the horror his invasion of Ukraine would create, especially in Europe. The European Union will certainly no longer risk its national security by importing Russian energy. Both the United States and the EU have all the tools they need to stop Russia from being a leading player in world energy markets.

“Some EU countries are already de facto boycotting Russian oil. According to TankerTrackers.com, in February, Denmark imported just over 7.5 million barrels of crude oil from Russia by ship. But in the first 27 days of March, Denmark imported no Russian crude whatsoever. Sweden, Finland, and other countries also reported big declines in Russian crude imported by tanker. And there are increasing signs that Germany and other countries will step up to lead a full and immediate embargo on imports of Russian oil by tanker into the EU,” the article reads.

Also, according to the authors, the possibility of paying for Russian gas and oil to escrow accounts, specially frozen accounts is being considered – to ensure the euro proceeds cannot be used by Russia to buy weapons anywhere in the world.

“Putin attempted to get ahead of this development by demanding payment for gas only in rubles, but the EU has rebuffed this as a breach of contract. Germany and Austria are preparing to ration the use of gas,” the authors noted.

They also point out that it will be difficult for Vladimir Putin to reorient oil exports from the European to the Asian market. After all, as the example of oil sanctions against Iran shows, if the United States, the EU, Great Britain and Norway impose sanctions banning all forms of marine insurance for tankers carrying Russian oil and refined products, most of the world’s tanker fleets will be withdrawn from the Russian market.

“The Russians have their own tankers, of course, but their fleet is too small to move more than about one million barrels per day, particularly because a lot of the crude would need to be hauled from Murmansk, the Baltic Sea, or the Black Sea all the way to Asia. Some renegade operators may attempt to enter the business, but these activities would be tracked carefully, and ship owners, charterers, and captains would most likely face personal US and EU sanctions,” the article reads.

For its part, Ukraine has already indicated it will pursue all possible remedies against anyone complicit in the financing of war crimes.

“Once the world adjusts to living with much less Russian energy, there will be no going back. No European in their right mind wants nuclear-armed Russia to have the free cash flow that its hydrocarbon exports currently provide, because that money will allow Putin (or his successors) to rearm and become even more aggressive – perhaps attacking NATO countries next time. There is no such thing as “cheap” Russian oil and gas,” Oleh Ustenko and Simon Johnson concluded.

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

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak discussed with Director General of Ukroboronprom Yuriy Husyev the work of the concern under martial law.

During the meeting, they focused on key aspects of the functioning of Ukroboronprom, identified areas that need special attention.

“Today, all enterprises of the military-industrial complex must work 24/7. To repel Russia’s aggression, the Armed Forces of Ukraine need effective work of every employee in the industry,” Andriy Yermak stressed.

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

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak noted that today Ukraine is not only defending itself from Russian aggression – it is protecting the whole European world. So Europe must help. He said this in an interview to leading international media – The New Yorker, Bild and Le Monde.

Andriy Yermak said that the position of Russian troops in the Kyiv direction is currently changing, but “we can believe that only when they leave our country.”

The Head of the Office of the President also said that the blockade of the city of Mariupol is continuing. There, people are dying without food and water, and the Russian side is not opening humanitarian corridors to evacuate residents.

Instead, the Russians are trying to force people to go to Russia under the pretext of the only way to survive, as stated by Andriy Yermak.

“Mariupol is blocked. They are ready to completely destroy Mariupol just to take it under control,” he added.

According to the Head of the President’s Office, given that Russian forces continue to bomb settlements in Ukraine, including civilian infrastructure, the Ukrainian government insists on closing the skies over our country to Russian aviation, but at the same time considers this issue in a realistic manner.

Andriy Yermak emphasized: “If you hear from NATO officials every day that this will not happen, we are not even told “this is a debatable issue”, but only “it will never happen”… What to do then? We are realists. We give our partners some way out. We continue to offer our partners – it’s not just the war between Ukraine and Russia, we protect you. If something happened in Chornobyl or at ZNPP, it would be 10 times bigger than in Chornobyl, and the population of Europe would have to be evacuated. And all the nations of the world would ask their governments: “What are you doing?”

According to the Head of the Office of the President, from the very beginning of the presidential term, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his team did their best to change the perception of Ukraine: from a country that constantly asks for something, to a country with which one should speak on an equal footing.

“And today we have been fighting for 36 days against one of the strongest armies in the world. We have proved to everyone that we are an important player who will have to be respected by everyone,” said Andriy Yermak.

He noted that before the Russian invasion, world leaders had ignored Ukraine’s calls for preventive sanctions, which, along with military aid, would be a major deterrent to the aggressor and could affect the situation before the war.

“We continue to talk about sanctions and turned to my good friend Michael McFaul for an analysis of sanctions. We analyze each sanction – how it works, where we are fooled, where they have learned to circumvent these sanctions. These are sanctions that must be effective quickly. Today there is a war, we pay the highest price – we pay with human lives. There is no time for lyrics and delays when our people are being killed,” said the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

Today, thanks to international restrictive measures against Russia and the successful deterrence of armed aggression by the Ukrainian army, Russia has moved from the language of ultimatums to dialogue, although this dialogue is difficult.

According to Andriy Yermak, Ukraine has always been in favor of dialogue and wants to achieve peace the most. But there are fundamental issues on which compromises are impossible.

“In Zelenskyy’s time, Ukraine will not give away a single centimeter of our territory. If Zelenskyy had been President in 2014, we would not have lost Crimea. Because everything started the same way – then and now,” he said.

According to the Head of the President’s Office, Ukraine, with its struggle for European values, freedom and justice, has once again proved that it deserves to take a worthy place among European countries. Today, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has become the leader of the free world, and the entire Ukrainian nation is a true hero.

“Some nations of the world are ready for more than their politicians. People do not believe in excuses why it is now impossible to do everything necessary for Ukraine to be a member of the EU,” said the Head of the Office of the President.

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

Ukraine has received a message from the International Committee of the Red Cross that the Russian Federation confirms its readiness to open access for the humanitarian convoy to Mariupol in transit through Berdyansk. In addition, two humanitarian corridors in the Zaporizhzhia region have been agreed – from Melitopol and Enerhodar. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk.

According to her, 45 buses were sent to Mariupol along the route. In particular, as of 9:00 am, 28 buses were to be allowed to pass through the Russian checkpoint in Vasylivka. In addition, 17 buses have already departed from Zaporizhzhia.

“We will do everything possible to ensure that buses arrive in Mariupol today and pick up people who have not yet been able to get out of the city,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.

Two humanitarian corridors in the Zaporizhzhia region have been agreed. In particular, for the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of people from the city of Melitopol. It is also planned to organize a column of citizens on their own transport from the city of Enerhodar to Zaporizhzhia.

Iryna Vereshchuk added that people on their own transport will be able to join the humanitarian columns from Mariupol and Melitopol on the way to Zaporizhzhia.

“Our military has fully confirmed and guarantees a full ceasefire. So, at 9:00 we will start the evacuation,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.

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

Sanctions are a powerful and effective mechanism for influencing Russia and those who support the ruling regime in the aggressor country. However, sanctions need to be deepened, so a new US package is expected to be announced soon. This was stated by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak in an interview to TV presenter Vadym Karpyak, which was broadcast within the information marathon “United News #UArazom”.

“It is very important to develop new packages of sanctions,” Andriy Yermak stressed.

He said that during the recent conversation between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Joseph Biden, our state received a signal that a new package of sanctions from the United States will be introduced in the coming days.

“We see that US sanctions are very effective today. This is a very powerful tool. It needs to be continued,” said the Head of the President’s Office.

According to him, sanctions will primarily affect Russian politicians, deputies and people who supported the war against Ukraine and on whom this regime is based.

“Certainly, it will be financial sanctions, economic ones,” Andriy Yermak said.

The Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine stressed that sanctions should also be imposed on Russian energy sources and the largest banks.

“These sanctions should include an embargo on energy, first of all I’m talking about an embargo on oil exports. If it takes a long time or there are some difficulties, we also said that sanctions should be introduced making it impossible for Russia to receive funds for the sale of oil, and this money could be used in some way in Ukraine’s interests,” Andriy Yermak said.

He clarified that the issue of imposing an energy embargo concerns both gas and oil.

The Head of the Office of the President added that Ukraine is making every effort to ensure that European countries also support the embargo on Russian energy.

“Of course, it is a very complicated issue. We know that some EU countries are ready and they understand that today it is impossible to think of any benefit when children are killed. And it is impossible now to measure money, some income, when it concerns human life,” he said.

At the same time, Andriy Yermak stated that there are countries that still have a different position. But the talks of the President of Ukraine with the leaders of these states, his addresses to the parliaments and nations, the work of Ukrainian diplomats are aimed at changing the attitude in these countries. After all, if the governments of some states are hesitant, they must listen to the opinion of their citizens.

“The nations of the world have already made their choice today – they are all with Ukraine, they are all on the side of good. That is why it is very difficult now for the countries that still continue to “play” and do not have a clear position – today or tomorrow they will answer the questions of their people why they did nothing in eight years and what they did when Ukrainians were killed and when there was war,” said the Head of the Office of the President.

Andriy Yermak also noted that sanctions are a powerful tool, but they need a very deep and rapid analysis. That is why there is an initiative to organize the work of a group of Ukrainian and international experts who will analyze the real impact of the restrictions imposed on Russia. He said that experts will not only study the sanctions already in place – what works and what doesn’t. They will also talk about it publicly.

In addition, the Head of the Office of the President called important the direction of this group’s work to develop mechanisms that would make it impossible to circumvent the restrictions – both for individuals and for countries.

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

Ukraine needs as big a supply of weapons as possible because our country pays a very high price every day defending the values of a democratic world in the fight against the aggressor. This was stated by Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak in an interview to leading international journalist of the American television company CNN Christiane Amanpour.

Andriy Yermak noted that Ukraine does not see any real confirmation of Russia’s statements on the withdrawal of troops from certain areas of the frontline.

“We believe they have changed their strategy and plans. Unfortunately, this does not mean stopping the war. I can say that the situation remains pretty difficult. I especially want to dwell on the humanitarian situation – everything is very bad,” he said.

The Head of the President’s Office stressed that Mariupol is in a catastrophic situation, where people are dying without food and water, and the Russians do not allow them to leave the city.

“The Russians did not allow the residents to leave the city. Russian troops have taken thousands of residents to Russia,” said Andriy Yermak.

According to him, the catastrophe in Mariupol is very similar to the blockade of Leningrad during World War II.

“Our Ukrainian position is very open and very transparent: we want to stop this war, we want Russian troops to be withdrawn from our territory. We insist on opening the humanitarian corridors, especially from Mariupol,” said the Head of the President’s Office.

Andriy Yermak stressed that the Ukrainian delegation continues difficult talks with the Russians, and the meeting in Istanbul is a confirmation of such a dialogue.

“I can say that we have very principled positions, and we do not want to compromise on our independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty. We are ready to continue the discussion, our delegation works around the clock seven days a week in a video format. Yesterday (March 29 – ed.) it happened live. I have a little optimism about that. We are continuing this conversation,” said the Head of the Office of the President.

Andriy Yermak noted that in his addresses to the parliaments of the world, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasizes the need to increase weaponry supplies to Ukraine.

“We do not have enough weapons. And we need it to continue our struggle,” he said.

The Head of the Office of the President hopes that all partner states of Ukraine understand that today our country pays an exorbitant price for its freedom, so the issue of weaponry supply is very important.

“The whole world can see that Ukrainians are a nation that will never stop fighting because we are fighting for our land. We are fighting for our country. We are fighting for the whole democratic world,” he said.

Andriy Yermak also emphasized that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a very brave man focused on results.

“He is the absolute leader of our nation. He is a man who gives the necessary energy and courage to all Ukrainians, the whole world, all people. Because I am absolutely convinced that the people of the world support Ukrainians, they made their choice. And we can see thousands of people on the streets in different cities around the world. And we will win, Ukraine will be the winner. We are sure of that. But it is necessary to do it as soon as possible,” the Head of the President’s Office stressed.

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

Ukraine calls on Canada and other partners to supply weapons. This was announced by Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak during an online conversation with journalists of the Canadian Global News.

“We need more weapons. Small arms, demining systems, drones, counter-battery radars, howitzers, body armor… Everything! But first of all, we need to close the sky to protect our cities from missiles,” Andriy Yermak explained.

The situation in the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, he noted, is as normal as possible in the current conditions. At the same time, there is no reason to talk about a full-fledged withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kyiv direction.

“Our people are calm, they are full of dignity and energy. Kyiv is reviving, shops are working, all services are working, public transport is working. Air alarms have already become a certain element of the current life of people in the city,” said the Head of the Office of the President.

He referred to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who said in his address that the Ukrainian side has not yet seen the Russians withdraw all their forces from the Kyiv direction. There are some movements, but it is more like a change of position or regrouping.

Andriy Yermak noted that according to one of the probable scenarios, the Russians will concentrate their forces around Donbas.

He reminded that the blockade of Mariupol continues and the situation in this city is catastrophic. Ukraine continues negotiations with many foreign leaders to unblock Mariupol as soon as possible.

Andriy Yermak stressed that the world community should continue to increase pressure on Russia. In particular, a group of Ukrainian and international experts has been set up at the President’s Office, which has already begun analyzing the real impact of sanctions against Russia and developing proposals for new effective measures.

The Head of the Office of the President also stressed the importance of increasing military assistance to Ukraine, in particular from Canada.

“Every hour of the war takes the lives of Ukrainians and causes great damage to our country,” he concluded.