Tag: Press Release

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

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the main topics of his talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Kyiv were security challenges and the peace process, as the future of European security architecture, of which our state is a part, is being decided today in Ukraine. He said this in a statement to the media following talks with Olaf Scholz.

“We talked about key approaches to this very important process. About the need to include specific legal guarantees that can protect the state of Ukraine in this architecture. We share the common vision that the escalation on the Ukrainian-Russian border is an unprecedented challenge for Europe and the world,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to him, the common position of the partners and their concrete actions to support our state and strengthen its resilience and defense capabilities are beneficial for the whole region and the European Union as a whole.

“I reiterated that Ukraine is a reliable ally and a true outpost of democracy in the region. That is why today, at a time of unprecedented challenges, the enhanced support for Ukraine by partners is extremely important,” the President stressed.

According to the President, Olaf Scholz expressed Germany’s full support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders, stressed its readiness to support our country and work together within the Crimea Platform to end the temporary occupation of Crimea.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed recent steps in the framework of a peaceful settlement in Donbas. It was emphasized that in a short time two rounds of talks were held between the political advisers of the Normandy Four in Paris and Berlin.

“I would like to note in this context the role of the new Federal Government of Germany and of the Chancellor personally. It is important that Mr. Scholz and I share a common vision of a peaceful approach. We expect that in the near future we will be able to hold further talks and agree on a summit of the leaders of the Normandy Four,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The President of Ukraine also expects that during his visit to Russia on February 15, the Federal Chancellor will present not only the position of Germany, but also the united position of the entire transatlantic community, the priority of which is Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“It is really important for us that before going to Russia, the German Chancellor held talks in Kyiv. We appreciate this manifestation of solidarity,” the Ukrainian President added.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that during the talks with Olaf Scholz he reiterated his clear position that the most effective approach to deterring aggression is the application of preventive sanctions.

The President also noted that it is very important for Ukraine to purchase weaponry and military equipment using the mechanisms of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, and he raised this issue during talks with the German Chancellor.

It is also extremely important for Ukraine that its partners stand firm on the position of an open door policy as regards NATO.

“We look forward to the support for Ukraine’s full membership in the European Union. Such a step would be a powerful signal of support for the geopolitical choice of the Ukrainian people recognized by our legislation and many countries around the world,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

For his part, Olaf Scholz said that he was visiting Ukraine at this important time with the message that Germany stands side by side with our country. According to him, Germany is trying to find a diplomatic solution to the current complicated situation.

“Together with France, we have intensified our efforts in the Normandy format. It is a difficult process, but I am convinced that it is worth every effort,” said the Chancellor.

Olaf Scholz stressed that Germany is concerned about the situation on the Ukrainian-Russian border. He believes that Russia’s military activities are not justified and there are no logical reasons for such an increase in military capabilities.

“It is clear to the German Federal Government that military aggression against Ukraine will have serious political, economic and geostrategic consequences for Russia. I will emphasize this in Moscow tomorrow,” he said.

The Federal Chancellor also thanked the Ukrainian leadership for its prudent response to the difficult and threatening situation and its responsible policy.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Olaf Scholz on his first visit to Ukraine and noted that Germany is a key partner of our country in terms of supporting its European integration aspirations and an important partner for Ukraine in general.

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

The meeting between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz, who is on a working visit to our country, started in Kyiv.

After the meeting, Ukrainian-German talks chaired by Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Olaf Scholz will take place.

The President of Ukraine and the Federal Chancellor of Germany will also hold a meeting with media representatives.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 13 February 2022.

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

The leaders discussed the security situation around our country – exchanged available information, its assessments and discussed ways of de-escalation.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that the Ukrainian party understands all current risks and is ready for any developments.

“We will stop any escalation towards Ukraine. The capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, and other cities of our state – Kharkiv and Lviv, Dnipro and Odesa – are safe and under reliable protection,” the Head of State emphasized.

The President of Ukraine noted the steps taken by the United States and other partners who continue to provide us with effective support.

“We feel it. And we hope that, among other things, it will help prevent the spread of panic,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The President of Ukraine thanked Joseph Biden for the unwavering support of the United States for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and stressed the importance of providing effective security guarantees for our country.

“We are ready to discuss them in different formats,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy, emphasizing that there can be no security in Europe without the security of Ukraine.

The interlocutors reaffirmed the unity of positions on the importance of continuing political and diplomatic efforts to unblock the peace process and restore stability. The President of Ukraine stressed that our state stands exclusively for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. Attention was paid to the steps taken to de-escalate and achieve peace within all existing negotiation formats.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted the importance of the United States’ efforts in the consolidation of international support of Ukraine. The President of Ukraine commended the active cooperation with the United States in the field of security and defense, which contributes to strengthening the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“We are not a member of NATO yet. Therefore, only a powerful Ukrainian army is the key to the security of our state,” the President stressed.

The leaders discussed sanctions in the event of escalation of aggression by Russia.

The issue of increasing Ukraine’s financial and energy stability against the background of current challenges was also discussed.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Joseph Biden for his support and invited him to visit Ukraine: “I am convinced that your arrival in Kyiv in the coming days, which are crucial for stabilizing the situation, will be a powerful signal and contribute to de-escalation.”

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 13 February 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with President of the European Council Charles Michel.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked his interlocutor for his efforts in consolidating Ukraine’s international support.

The leaders discussed the security situation around our country, as well as the steps being taken to de-escalate the situation and achieve peace within the existing negotiation formats, in particular Normandy.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Charles Michel exchanged views and assessments of the latest international events, negotiations and contacts with strategic partners.

The President of Ukraine stressed the importance of uniting and coordinating political and diplomatic efforts in order to unlock the peace process and restore stability.

“We stand for the political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict. We will not give in to provocations,” the President said.

In this regard, he thanked Charles Michel and EU leaders for keeping their diplomats in our country and supporting us with their work.

“We understand all the risks and are ready for any scenario. But we have been in this situation since 2014. And today our biggest enemy is panic,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

The President of Ukraine also stated the need to impose preventive sanctions against Russia in order to curb the Kremlin’s aggressive intentions.

Particular attention was paid to increasing Ukraine’s defense and financial stability against the background of current challenges and further practical cooperation with the European Union.

The President thanked the EU for its decision to provide a package of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also confirmed the invariability of Ukraine’s European integration course and stressed the need for the European Union to define clear prospects as regards full membership of our country.

For his part, the President of the European Council reaffirmed the EU’s strong and unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country, as well as its Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

 

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 12 February 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau.

The Head of State informed his interlocutor about the security situation around Ukraine and the steps being taken to de-escalate the situation and achieve peace within all available negotiation formats.

The parties discussed the intensification of assistance to our state against the background of current security challenges.

“I appreciate Canada’s support for Ukraine. The already provided financial support to our state in the amount of 120 million dollars and the continuation of the UNIFIER training mission are really important for us,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

The President also praised the Canadian side’s decision to provide significant additional financial assistance to Ukraine.

The President thanked Canada for its strong support to Ukraine, its sovereignty, territorial integrity and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine looks forward to the visit of Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie to our country.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 12 February 2022.

Ukraine is aware of the risks of escalation of the situation on the part of the Russian Federation, is preparing for any developments and is in constant consultation with international partners in order to resolve the conflict through political and diplomatic means. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a conversation with media representatives during a working trip to the Kherson region.

The Head of State noted that the Ukrainian authorities understand all the risks, as they receive information from various sources, including their own intelligence and intelligence agencies of partner countries. And first of all, our country must rely on its own forces, on its military and civilians.

“There can be surprises any time. We must rely on our own forces. We understand that such things (escalation – ed.) can take place without warning. Therefore, the most important thing is that we are ready for everything. And this is exactly what is being worked out. We are ready for any steps from any side, from any borders,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

The President stated that Ukraine is grateful for all the intelligence from international partners, but the information received must be analyzed very carefully.

“I must talk to people as President and tell people the truth. And the truth is that we have a lot of information. Now the best friend for the enemy is panic in our country,” the Head of State stressed.

At the same time, he noted that negotiations are underway at the international level to prevent escalation.

“We work separately at the diplomatic level, we communicate daily with the leadership of different countries, leaders of different levels, because we believe that the diplomatic path is the only way to de-escalation and de-occupation,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy summed up.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 12 February 2022.

During a working trip to the Kherson region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy observed the conduct of tactical and special exercises of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

The exercises are taking place in Kalanchak, near the administrative border with the temporarily occupied Crimea. They are aimed at preparing the Interior Ministry as much as possible to respond effectively to destabilizing factors.

The Head of State was informed that, according to the exercise script, plans are being prepared for internal destabilization of the situation with the use of elements of hybrid warfare. In particular, with the help of social networks and telegram-bots, false information is spread about the allegedly difficult situation in the energy sector, interruptions in heating and water supply, rolling blackouts. Against this background, according to the script, there are riots, attempts to undermine critical infrastructure, and seize administrative buildings.

To overcome this situation, law enforcement officers have worked out skills to deploy an operational headquarters, eliminate emergencies related to the disconnection of the village from the electricity supply, and ensure public order.

In addition, operations were carried out to stabilize the situation on the border with the temporarily occupied territories, to respond to the facts of illegal crossing of checkpoints, etc. There was also a special operation to identify, block and eliminate armed groups and sabotage-reconnaissance groups, detain armed criminals, and liberate seized administrative buildings.

“These are mass exercises, 1,300 people are involved. These exercises are not accidental, they take place in all border regions of our state. Coordinated work of the National Police, SES, National Guard. This is how our state was supposed to work in 2014,” the President said during a conversation with media representatives in the Kherson region.

He stressed that military exercises will be held in Ukraine simultaneously.

“Yesterday a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council took place, we are acting in accordance with our plan. We are not afraid of anyone, do not panic, everything is under control,” the Head of State stressed.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 11 February 2022.

Under the chairmanship of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, an offsite meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine was held in Kharkiv to discuss the formation of territorial defense, impose restrictive measures against a number of legal entities and approve the Maritime Security Strategy of Ukraine.

In particular, the National Security and Defense Council considered the issue of ensuring national security from internal and external threats in a “classified” mode and heard reports from representatives of intelligence services, military units and the border service. The Navy Command also reported on the risks to Ukraine’s navigation due to the Russian Federation’s intention to block the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov area under the pretext of military drills.

Also the National Security and Defense Council heard a report in the “classified” mode on the provision of international military-technical and financial assistance to our country since 2014. Recently, 25 planes with the aid of partners arrived in Ukraine.

The National Security and Defense Council also heard information from the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Head of the Security Service and heads of regional state administrations on the implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On Fundamentals of National Resistance” in terms of the formation of territorial defense units.

At the initiative of the President, a protocol decision was made on the need to take measures to implement this law in full in a short time.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has set a task that the territorial defense forces must include 2 million citizens.

The National Security and Defense Council also approved the Maritime Security Strategy of Ukraine, which was developed to fulfill the instructions of the President. This is the first time such a document has been elaborated in our country.

In addition, it was decided to send national personnel of Ukraine to participate in the NATO mission in the Republic of Iraq.

“We will send a small contingent there to perform tasks not related to the military component,” said the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

At the meeting, the National Security and Defense Council considered the application and amendment of personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions). Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Kyrylo Shevchenko and Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov reported on this.

In particular, due to the fact that Liberton Star construction company, which is already under Ukrainian sanctions, changed its place of registration from Odesa to Kyiv, the sanctions were applied to it again.

In addition, the National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions for a period of five years against Vytryna TV company registered in Moscow. It is a company that provides services for broadcasting Russian TV channels blocked in Ukraine.

Sanctions were also imposed against Nasha Praga LLC (Maxi-TV), Nash 24 LLC, Nash 365 LLC (Nash TV channel) and the Cypriot Demosena Investments LTD, which owns all these companies.

Oleksiy Danilov also said that pursuant to the instruction of the President, meetings of the National Security and Defense Council will be held in various regions of Ukraine, in particular to address the issues of concern to the regions, directly on the ground.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 11 February 2022.

During a working trip to the Kharkiv region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Zbigniew Rau.

The President noted the importance of the Minister’s first visit to Ukraine, including the Joint Forces Operation area, as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

“I am pleased to welcome you as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office. The role of the Organization in the deoccupation of Ukrainian territories and in supporting our state is extremely important,” the President stressed.

He informed about the security situation in the region, noting that Ukraine stands for the political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict in all available negotiation formats, including the Normandy one.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Zbigniew Rau exchanged views and assessments on recent international events and contacts with strategic partners.

The Head of State also drew attention to the unblocking of the work of the Trilateral Contact Group, noting that the Ukrainian side has submitted to it a number of important initiatives aimed at resolving urgent humanitarian issues.

During the meeting, the parties discussed topical issues of bilateral cooperation in the economy, energy and infrastructure.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 11 February 2022.

During his working trip to the Kharkiv region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, during which they discussed issues of improving the quality of medical services and ensuring decent wages of medical workers.

The Head of State stressed that a strong Ukraine is a strong medicine.

“Right now we are talking about raising the salaries of our doctors and paramedics. In every institution, even the smallest, most remote, without exception,” he said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy reminded that last year, in accordance with the President’s decree, the budget for the healthcare sector and the Medical Guarantee Program was increased. And then local authorities and heads of medical institutions should act.

The Head of State also set a task to improve the quality of medical services, which would be aimed not only at stabilizing the condition, but also at maximizing the restoration of the human body.

“This is medicine, an integral part of which is rehabilitation from the first day of illness or injury. 24 rehabilitation centers have been identified, which the state will equip in each region of our state in a priority manner in the framework of the Large Construction,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.