Tag: Press Release

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 18 April 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting to discuss the country’s post-war reconstruction and development plan.

The event was attended by Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Deputy Heads of the Office of the President, members of the Government, the leadership of the parliamentary majority and relevant committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

According to Denys Shmyhal, the post-war reconstruction plan consists of several parts, and international audit companies, Ukrainian think tanks, parliamentary committees and ministries have joined its development.

The plan envisages the restoration of Ukraine on new principles using all available resources and opportunities. In particular, it is planned to cover the material damage caused by the war, restore the destroyed infrastructure capacity and carry out structural modernization of the Ukrainian economy.

The participants also discussed the course of Ukraine’s European integration and obtaining candidate status for accession to the European Union.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 16 April 2022.

Escalation of Russian aggression and committing war crimes by Russia, including against civilians, reduce the chance for negotiations. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Ukrainian media.

“The stronger we are, the better the outcome of these talks will be. The more Borodianka-like cases appear, there will be no chance that negotiations will be held actually,” the Head of State said.

Zelenskyy is convinced that crimes against civilians and the Ukrainian military are a big mistake of Russians.

“The destruction of all our guys in Mariupol – what they are doing now – can put an end to any format of negotiations. I think it is their big mistake to say that they really want to end the war,” he added.

The President also said that Ukrainians and the world have already seen what the occupiers did to Bucha and Borodianka, but so far no one knows for sure the scale of the crimes in Mariupol, as there is no access to the city.

At the same time, according to Zelenskyy, negotiations are needed to defend the state and end the war. According to him, Ukraine constantly offered a meeting of the leaders of the two countries during the war, but the Russian side insists on organizing such a meeting only when final agreements are reached on all points.

The head of the Ukrainian state said that he did not consider such an approach correct. In his opinion, some points need to be prepared and agreed before the meeting with Vladimir Putin, but in the end everything should be agreed only at the talks of the leaders.

“I am in favor of a faster meeting with Russia. I don’t think it will be one meeting. I don’t think we can meet once and agree on everything, because there are a lot of issues, and I don’t see in some of them that they will take our version or we will accept their version,” Zelenskyy said.

In particular, according to the President, the issue of settling the status of the occupied territories of Donbas and Crimea remains open, as Ukraine and Russia have different understandings of the sovereignty of these territories.

“I think we need to talk about it. And find a model that may not give an answer to what to do with it today, but it will definitely allow everyone to become sober. At least them. When the fighting is over and the war is over, we can think of diplomacy. And they want to resolve issues diplomatically when there is a war. This is very difficult. And that’s why they want to take away some of our territory, to occupy more to put pressure. Then it’s not about diplomacy. And why do we meet? Why should I meet if they want to occupy the whole territory?” Zelenskyy said.

In his opinion, it is possible to speak without bias, in particular about the neutral status, only after the ceasefire and withdrawal of military equipment.

The head of state also said that the Russian side in the talks wants to sign a single document that would contain solutions to all issues.
“But all (other countries which are potential participants in the agreement) do not quite see themselves at the same table with the Russian Federation,” the President said.

According to him, other states distinguish between security guarantees for Ukraine and agreements with Russia.

“Russia wants everything to be in one document. And people say: they saw what happened in Bucha, circumstances are changing… And they less and less want to have any agreements with Russia. At the same time, they want to have agreements with Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.

Therefore, in his opinion, the outcome of negotiations to end the war can be two different documents: security guarantees from partner countries and a separate document with Russia.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 16 April 2022.

Ukraine needs the supply of various types of weapons from partner countries be accelerated, because the lives of Ukrainians and the further success of our country in the fight against the aggressor depend on it. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Ukrainian media.

The head of state said that the people of some countries, which were hesitant about the supply of weapons to Ukraine, began to put pressure on the government, and this allowed accelerating this process.

“From the moment they say that we (governments or parliaments) have decided to confirm the supply of weapons to Ukraine, to the moment when these weapons are already in our arsenal, in our army, two or three weeks may pass. This is a very long process,” Zelenskyy said.

The President said that in some parts of the front, in particular in the Joint Forces Operation area or in Mariupol, new weapons are required as soon as possible, and there is no time to wait.

“People say: we need help now, it is a matter of one, two, or three days, and people (from partner countries) say: everything is fine, we will give you in May. What they are counting on? That we will fight for months? Years of war? Some of them are probably counting on it. But for us, the acceleration (of the supply) of weapons is a very important moment,” the Head of State said.

Zelenskyy said that recently the rhetoric of some countries regarding the supply of weapons to Ukraine has changed in our favor.

“We have changed this rhetoric. Some changed it because of the pressure of the people… Because of this pressure, they also changed the process and unblocked the supply,” he said.

The President said that Ukraine receives weapons from other countries, but these weapons are still not enough.

“The United States, the United Kingdom, Poland and several other countries support us very well today. But they can do more, much more. And the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic support honestly and openly,” the President said.

Zelenskyy also expressed confidence that Ukraine will have no problems with the supply of new weapons.

“We will not have a problem with weapons, any weapons, upgraded one. This is the feeling I have judging the signals we had,” the President of Ukraine said.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 16 April 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting on the restoration and reconstruction of housing infrastructure in the country that was destroyed or damaged in the war with Russia.

The meeting was also attended by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and his deputy Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov, the leadership of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, well-known Ukrainian architects.

The head of state listened to proposals on solving problems with the construction of temporary housing in settlements affected by the war, in particular on the example of Kyiv region. For this purpose it is planned to build special modular towns.

It is expected that this will be high-quality, comfortable housing in which residents of the affected cities will be able to live for a long time, while the reconstruction of their homes or the construction of new housing continues.

Zelenskyy said that any projects to restore or develop housing infrastructure should be aimed at ensuring that Ukrainians return home. They must also provide opportunities to address the issue of providing permanent housing for the Ukrainian military, which is heroically defending our country.

In addition, the President studied a modern memorial complex project, which will tell the story of the world-famous destroyed bridge in the village of Romanivka, Kyiv region, connecting Irpin and Bucha with the city of Kyiv. According to the authors of the project, visitors to this complex will be able to immerse themselves in the atmosphere that prevailed during the evacuation in this place.

“It is important that we perpetuate this place. And people will be able to feel everything that happened here. It will be a monument to our path to victory,” the President said.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 16 April 2022.

The Coordination Center for Humanitarian and Social Affairs established by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, headed by the Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak, has reported on the results of its activities.

According to Yermak, the amount of charitable assistance received for Ukraine from citizens and corporations from around the world has now reached almost $924 million, and funds continue to flow.

“They go mainly to the accounts of the UN and international humanitarian organizations. And they, in turn, send them to help our refugees in different countries,” the head of the President’s Office said.

Most funds came from philanthropists from the United Kingdom (47%), the Netherlands (almost 18%), the Czech Republic (11%) and the United States (almost 8%).

Yermak stressed that Ukraine is grateful for the help of both world celebrities and all concerned citizens from different countries.

In particular, he said that the UK under the auspices of the Disasters Emergency Committee raised more than GBP 310 million. Queen Elizabeth II, the British government, film, theater and music stars have made their contributions. Famous Hollywood actress Mila Kunis, who was born in Chernivtsi, and her husband, actor Ashton Kutcher, raised $35 million in the United States. They sent these funds to the Flexport logistics startup and Airbnb technology company. In France, EUR 8 million were raised by local television thanks to a charity concert of French stars. The First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron, also joined – she donated EUR 1 million.

Deputy Head of the Office of the President Yulia Sokolovska said that 270,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid had been imported to Ukraine in 50 days. Food was purchased from Ukrainian producers and meal kits were made for almost 10 million Ukrainians.

The SpivDiia information resource processes applications from the hotline to meet the specific needs of citizens. More than 48,000 applications have already been processed, Sokolovska said.

According to First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko, logistics centers have been set up on the western border with Poland, Hungary, Romania, Moldova and Slovakia in the first week, where international donors and partners send humanitarian aid.

Lviv region has become the largest hub of humanitarian support in Ukraine, receiving 51% of cargo from abroad.

Among the humanitarian hubs located across the country, the cargo is distributed among regional military administrations, charities, local governments, NGOs and volunteers, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said.

According to him, during the 50 days of the war, the whole country was united, and each non-frontline region helps the frontline region every day.

In addition, as Tymoshenko said, with the help of the convenient platform help.gov.ua people from all over the world fill out questionnaires every day and send assistance to Ukraine.

To resolve logistics issues, the Ministry of Infrastructure has a special logistics center, which includes Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukrposhta and other carriers.

According to the deputy head of the President’s Office, during the war Ukrzaliznytsia evacuated almost 4 million people by train free of charge. More than 1.3 million people from Kyiv and almost 500,000 from Kharkiv were evacuated. The total number of Ukrainians who traveled abroad by rail is about 500,000.

People from the blocked cities and cities, which are most difficult in terms of safety, were evacuated via safe corridors.

“Unfortunately, there was fire against civilians, but since the beginning of the war, almost 300,000 people have been evacuated from Sumy, Zaporizhia, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” the deputy head of the President’s Office said.

According to Svyrydenko, special attention is paid to the problem of fuel supply. From the first days of the war, the government agreed with the Polish Governmental Agency for Strategic Reserves to provide 20,000 tonnes of fuel as humanitarian aid. At the same time, an agreement was reached with the largest networks of gas stations on its dispensing through their gas stations to certain categories of recipients.

Sokolovska, for her part, reminded that people receive psychological help within the framework of the Tell Me program. There is also a web platform for the effective collection and processing of information on case of violation of human rights by the Russian Federation.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 16 April 2022.

The Group of Seven (G7) countries and the European Union should impose an embargo on Russian energy, as well as help Ukraine close its budget deficit amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of our territory. This was stated by adviser to the President of Ukraine on economic issues Oleh Ustenko in an interview with The New Yorker.

In particular, he said that even after US President Joseph Biden called genocide what the Russian army is doing in Ukraine, European allies are dragging their feet about an energy embargo on Russia.

“We are saying, Look, guys… You are stopping caviar exports. However, what can really harm this Russian military machine is oil. And nothing has happened with oil. We just had talks and talks and talks, and then nothing happened,” Ustenko said.

According to him, some European countries are, in fact, buying more gas and oil than they were before the war. However, he suggested that some countries may have been trying to build up their energy reserves in anticipation of an embargo that they think is coming.

The adviser to the President of Ukraine acknowledged that Germany and France, the EU’s two largest economies, had reduced their imports of Russian oil and gas since the war began, but noted that they are still buying large amounts.

According to Ustenko, Washington should exert more pressure on its European allies to join an energy embargo.

He also called on the United States and other members of G7 to provide more financial support for the Ukrainian government as it tries to pay for the war and maintain social spending for its population.

“The contraction in our economy is huge,” the adviser to the President of Ukraine said. “Fifty per cent of our businesses are not fully operational. Our budget revenues have fallen substantially, and our budget deficit has increased. This deficit has to be financed.”

Ustenko estimated the budget deficit at about $8 billion a month. According to him, With Ukraine effectively shut out of the international financial markets, he said, it can’t issue more debt to cover this amount. If the G7 provided fifty billion dollars in new financing, that would resolve the deficit issue for at least another six months, he said.

“We need extra financial support, including from the United States. Of course, the United States was very kind, providing us with weapons. But it is not enough,” the adviser to the President of Ukraine said.

However, Ustenko said that the first priority must be the immediate imposition of an energy embargo, because that is where Russia is most vulnerable. In this case, in his opinion, the moral argument should be at least as compelling as the economic one.

“If somebody is committing a war crime and a third party is giving money to the war criminal, then, for us in Ukraine, this third party is also in the cycle of committing the same war crime. Because the third party, with his money, is in the position of supporting the war crime,” the President’s adviser said.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 16 April 2022.

Tariffs for electricity for households of Ukraine with consumption up to 250 kWh per month will not increase and will amount to UAH 1.44 per kWh. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a video address.

According to the Head of State, energy issues were discussed during a meeting with government officials.

“We are extending the electricity tariff of UAH 1.44 per kilowatt for at least next six months for those who consume less than 250 kilowatts. This is 80% of our citizens,” Zelenskyy said.

Also, according to him, the meeting reviewed the results of the current heating season.

“The season was successful despite everything. Despite all the “prophecies,” the tariffs have not increased. There were no rotating outages. Supplies were not disrupted even in wartime. Preparations have also begun for the next heating season. We discussed the purchase of gas, the purchase of coal,” the President said.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 15 April 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with members of the Cabinet of Ministers and representatives of the Office of the Head of State on the topical issues of economic development under martial law and the priorities that need to be addressed.

The parties discussed the restoration of business in our country. In particular, the restoration of heavy industry, metallurgy and mechanical engineering was noted.

Special attention was paid to macroeconomic stability and inflation. The President heard reports from government officials on topical issues of the relevant ministries.

They also discussed the completion of work on the first part of the questionnaire to obtain the candidate status for membership in the European Union. The questionnaire was handed over to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on April 8 in Kyiv.

The agenda also included the issues of humanitarian aid, public expenditures, the functioning of Ukraine’s energy system and the completion of the autumn-winter heating season, the work of Ukrzaliznytsia, sowing campaign and environmental policy under martial law.

 

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 15 April 2022.

A group of Ukrainian and international experts analyzing the real impact of sanctions against Russia is tracking Russian oil tankers through network analysis software. This was stated by Adviser to the President of Ukraine on economic issues Oleg Ustenko in a comment for The Economist.

Experts are tracking energy supply routes, thanks to which “Russia is desperately trying to finance its military machine.”

Information for the group is provided by both international experts and government officials from other countries and even intelligence.

In addition, the team uses network analysis software to establish the relationship between disparate data.

The program analyzes the behavior of ships, taking into account various information. For example, the declared cargo, route and insurance data, as well as historical models of navigation in different weather and market conditions. You can even see the tonnage of the cargo on board the ship and see if there is a suspicion that there may be more cargo on board than stated.

A group of experts has already managed to identify supplies of Kazakh oil, which they believe contain portions of clandestinely loaded Russian crude, says Oleg Ustenko.

Warnings are sent to relevant governments and companies, as well as to Ukrainian ministries.

A more recently developed approach uses satellites in low orbits to hoover up signals from shipborne radars. These are used for navigation and to avoid collisions, so mariners are disinclined to switch them off. Fancy software for signal processing geolocates the signals’ sources, at times within just several hundred meters.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 14 April 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke via a video call with members of the Invictus Games – Ukraine team who are now in The Hague to take part in the Invictus Games international sports competition.

Most of the members of the team are current servicemen who defend Ukraine in the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the territorial defense and other structures of the security and defense sector. 19 Ukrainian athletes – defenders will compete with 500 veterans and servicemen from 18 NATO and Allied countries.

“It is an honor for us that you represent Ukraine. I believe that Ukraine is each of you. If you represent our country in The Hague today at the Invictus Games, you will show that Ukraine is unconquered,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President noted that Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, which is being rebuffed by our army, has been going on for 50 days. Today, Ukraine is one of the strongest states in the world, and Ukrainians are invincible.

“Victory is important for us, it is important to prove that we are all unconquered. And your team is part of the spirit of indomitability of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people and each of us,” the Head of State is convinced.

As Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted, the Ukrainian team of the Invictus Games is a reflection of our state – “different people, but all strong, united for the sake of the result.”

“The only result is victory,” he said.

The Head of State together with Ukrainian athletes honored the memory of the coach of the archery team, ATO veteran since 2014 Dmytro Sydoruk who died in the battle for Ukraine in early April.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted that the world needs to know the story of a paramedic volunteer, a member of the national team Yulia Payevska (nicknamed “Tayra”), who is currently being held captive by the Russian occupiers.

“This sip of freedom, which you can give with your participation, victories and stories about what is happening on our beautiful land and what tragedy the enemy has brought, – I think she will definitely get this sip. Because you will tell about her to journalists, media and other athletes. And you will tell not only with words, but first of all with victory,” the Head of State emphasized.

The President called on Ukrainian athletes to do everything possible to ensure that people in The Hague, where the Invictus Games take place, learn more about all the crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine.

“In The Hague today, you will basically fight for the Russian occupiers and all those who deserve that to be in The Hague in due time. Because what they did is a crime against the people, against the people of Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The members of the team told the Head of State that they are determined to win the competition to show the indomitability of our Homeland. They stressed that in communication with athletes from other countries they tell the truth about the horrible events taking place in Ukraine.

The President wished the Invictus Games – Ukraine team great victories.