Tag: Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 13 July 2022.

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

Today I signed a decree awarding the Order of Merit of the 1st degree to Maryna Viazovska, a Ukrainian mathematician who became a laureate of the Fields Medal this year.

This is a very important and prestigious award – it is called the Nobel Prize in Mathematics.

Ukrainian Mrs. Viazovska became the second woman in the entire history of the award since 1936 to win this medal. She managed to solve the problem of packing spheres in eight-dimensional space. As scientists note, Maryna Viazovska offered very powerful ideas and helped solve related problems.

Today I want to thank Mrs. Maryna. Not only for her work, for a very powerful mathematical result, but also for the fact that she helps all of us, all Ukrainians, protect our freedom and independence. In particular, during the ceremony of awarding the Fields Medal at the International Congress of Mathematicians, in her speech Mrs. Maryna spoke about Ukraine, about Russia’s war against our country, about the crimes of the Russian occupiers.

Mrs. Maryna studied in Ukraine, in Kyiv, she works in Switzerland, in Lausanne, heads the department of number theory. And I believe that the day will come when Maryna Viazovska will be able to return to Ukraine and teach here.

I took part in the work of the “Asian Leadership” conference, which takes place every year in Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea. This is one of those platforms that attracts the attention of the entire region. And it is important for Ukraine that our interests and values are heard and perceived in all parts of the world, especially in the leading countries of Asia. I thanked them for their support and called for more active opposition to Russian terror tactics.

And what an evil irony: today the representatives of the occupation structures in Donetsk announced that they were, as they say, recognized by the DPRK. Of course, we will react in a very tough manner at all levels. But this is the news that does not even need additional comments. Everything is obvious. The path we are taking and the path the occupiers can lead to.

Debris clearance continues after the Russian attack on the city of Chasiv Yar. As of this time, the list of the dead includes 48 people, including one child. Unfortunately, the number of those rescued has not changed – 9 people. Rescuers will work on site until all debris is cleared. It was one of the most brutal Russian strikes during the entire war – so many victims… My condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims.

I am preparing to address the participants of the forum in The Hague in the Netherlands, which will be held tomorrow and dedicated to the prosecution of Russian war criminals. World democracies are willing to do everything necessary to make every Russian terrorist responsible for evil against Ukrainians. And we must coordinate our efforts in such a way that all the guilty receive fair sentences. There will be a tribunal.

Today in the news there are many references to the meeting in Turkey regarding the unblocking of agricultural exports from our country through the Black Sea. We are indeed making significant efforts to restore the supply of food to the world market. And I am grateful to the United Nations and Turkey for their respective efforts. The success of this story is needed not only by our state, but also, without exaggeration, by the whole world. If we manage to remove the Russian threat to navigation in the Black Sea, it will remove the severity of the world food crisis. The Ukrainian delegation informed me that there is some progress. We will agree on the details with the UN Secretary General in the coming days.

In the evening, as usual, I signed the decree awarding our warriors. 136 combatants were awarded state awards, 25 of them posthumously.

Eternal memory to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine!

Eternal gratitude to everyone who protects our country!

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 12 July 2022.

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

Today I would like to highlight one decision that looks like a technical one, but there is a lot of symbolism and meaningful political work behind it. Ukraine became an associate member of NATO’s special multilateral program on technological interoperability. To put it more simply, it is about Alliance’s standards. Now Ukraine not only implements NATO standards, but also can participate in the development of new standards.

The experience of our military, the capabilities of Ukrainian institutions, the IT potential of our country – all this will now be the Ukrainian contribution to the development of collective security in Europe.

And when does it happen? On the 139th day of a full-scale war, with which Russia planned to destroy us in a week. And the Ukrainian state not only survived, not only defends itself, but also develops and will help the development of its partners. Such success is worth noting.

Every day we receive and experience a lot of painful news. The war continues, Russian shelling does not stop for a single day. Today there were regular strikes at Mykolaiv – missiles, artillery. The occupiers once again hit Kharkiv and the communities of the region – Staryi Saltiv, Zolochiv, Bayrak and others. There are victims – wounded and killed. In Donbas, offensive attempts do not stop, the situation there does not get easier, and the losses do not get smaller. We must remember this. We must see this, draw attention to this.

And it should also be remembered that even in such conditions, the state takes steps forward – in cooperation with partners – in institutional development. And, of course, on the frontline.

The occupiers have already felt very well what modern artillery is, and they will not have a safe rear anywhere on our land, which they occupied. They have felt that the operations of our reconnaissance officers to protect their Homeland are much more powerful than any of their “special operations”. Russian soldiers – and we know this from interceptions of their conversations – are truly afraid of our Armed Forces.

139 days of such a war, almost 20 weeks… The so-called second army of the world is afraid of Ukrainians and is able to do something only on the basis of bottomless stocks of old Soviet weapons.

They no longer have strategic strength, character, or understanding of what they are doing here on our land. They also don’t have even an iota of courage to admit defeat and withdraw troops from Ukrainian territory.

Today in Kyiv, I held talks with Mariusz Błaszczak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Poland. And he brought us “Krabs” – those that will powerfully feed our enemy with fire.

Of course, the key topic of our negotiations was further defense cooperation. But it is important not only what we talked about, but also how we talked. With absolute confidence in the Ukrainian future. In the Ukrainian European future.

The same goes for all my other negotiations. It is always felt.

A really difficult road is ahead. Unfortunately, it is impossible to do otherwise when you are protecting your home from a terrorist assault. But it is also clear that what lies ahead is the success of our state. Ukraine will be able to defend itself. Ukraine will be able to rebuild itself. Ukraine will be able to fulfill all its foreign policy goals.

When millions of people work sincerely for this – each and every one at their own level – the result will be inevitable.

And you know, for some reason I rarely thanked ordinary people who work in Ukraine. Who stay here no matter what. Who do their job every day. With faith in Ukraine, with faith in victory. Now I want to thank you all. Thank you for having you. Thank you for being with Ukraine.

In the evening, as always, I signed the decree awarding our heroes. 156 warriors were awarded state awards. 56 of them – posthumously.

Eternal glory to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine!

Eternal glory to all those who fight for the future of our people!

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 11 July 2022.

Ukrainians!

All our defenders!

Today was a difficult day.

First, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to summon Canada’s representative to our country due to an absolutely unacceptable exception to the sanctions regime against Russia. It’s not just about some Nord Stream turbine that Canada shouldn’t have, but still decided to hand over. Hand over actually to Russia. This is about common rules.

If a terrorist state can squeeze out such an exception to sanctions, what exceptions will it want tomorrow or the day after tomorrow? This question is very dangerous. Moreover, it is dangerous not only for Ukraine, but also for all countries of the democratic world.

The decision on the exception to sanctions will be perceived in Moscow exclusively as a manifestation of weakness. This is their logic. And now, there can be no doubt that Russia will try not just to limit as much as possible, but to completely shut down the supply of gas to Europe at the most acute moment. This is what we need to prepare for now, this is what is being provoked now.

Because every concession in such conditions is perceived by the Russian leadership as an incentive for further, stronger pressure.

Of course, this decision on one turbine, which leads to many other problems, can still be revised. Russia has never played by the rules in the energy sector and it will not play now unless it sees strength.

Debris clearance continues all day in the city of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region. The day before yesterday, Russian terrorists hit two high-rise buildings, and as of now 31 people are known to be killed. Nine were saved.

Kharkiv faced new brutal attacks by the Russian army. Another rocket hit a residential building – one block was completely destroyed. In the morning, the occupiers shelled the Saltivka and Kyiv districts with rocket artillery – five people were killed.

The Odesa region was hit by missiles, extremely violent hostilities continued in the Donetsk region and on the territory of the Luhansk region.

My condolences to all relatives and friends of the deceased…

And against such a background, it’s just a shame to see people lacking the courage to honestly deal with one turbine.

Today I submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine a very important draft law – on legal and social guarantees for Polish citizens residing in Ukraine. In fact, this is a response to the law that was adopted by the Polish state in the spring in the interests of our citizens. In particular, I propose to give our Polish brothers the opportunity to legally stay in Ukraine for 18 months, the right to employment, economic activity, study at our universities, medical care.

I ask the people’s deputies of Ukraine to consider this draft law as conscientiously as possible.

In relations with Poland, we have reached the highest level of trust and cooperation not just in decades, but in the lifetime of many generations of our nations. And we must increase it, we must further strengthen our ties in all spheres and on the basis of a clear understanding that Ukraine and Poland can be free only together – in brotherhood.

Today, I also signed a decree conferring the honorary title of the Rescuer City upon the city of Przemyśl. For the extremely significant contribution of the city authorities, volunteers and residents to help our people and our defense. Let me remind you that this is the second such decision – the Polish city of Rzeszów was the first to receive this title.

I held important negotiations with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte in Kyiv. We discussed our defense cooperation, financial assistance for Ukraine and the further progress of our country on the European path. I am thankful for the strong support, which is currently the largest in the entire history of Ukrainian-Dutch relations.

I had a conversation with President of Turkey Erdoğan. The key issue is the restoration of our export routes through the Black Sea. We are working on making it possible. The sooner this happens, the fewer people in the world will feel the impact of the food crisis that was so carefully prepared by Russia.

In the evening, I signed another decree on awarding our heroes. 287 combatants received state awards.

I am grateful to everyone who defends the people and the state!

I am grateful to everyone who works for the victory!

I believe that thanks to you, the sun will rise in Ukraine.

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 10 July 2022.

Ukrainians!

All our defenders!

I have been receiving reports all day long today from the city of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region. A rescue operation is underway there after a Russian strike at residential buildings. Two high-rise buildings were destroyed. Dozens of people are under the rubble. Six were saved. There are 15 names in the list of the dead and, unfortunately, this is not the final number.

It was a missile strike. And everyone who gives orders for such strikes, everyone who carries them out targeting our ordinary cities, residential areas, kills absolutely deliberately. After such strikes, the killers will not be able to say they did not know something or did not understand something… All those who carried out this shelling, other missile strikes, all those who hit our cities with rocket artillery, as is the case with the Kharkiv region, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Siversk and Vuhledar in the Donetsk region – they will all be found.

You know, Nazi murderers are found and brought to justice even when they are 90 or 100 years old. They are caught all over the world. Of course, we don’t want to wait that long. But I give this example to show that punishment is inevitable for every Russian murderer. Absolutely everyone. Just as for the Nazis. And they should not expect that their state will protect them. Russia will be the first to abandon them when political circumstances change.

Since the beginning of this invasion, Ukrainian law enforcement officers have been doing everything necessary to record the crimes of the occupiers and to collect evidence. Our partners from many countries are involved in this work. Russian terror has long crossed the line beyond which it became obvious to many in the civilized world that it is a matter of global security to punish Russia, a terrorist state, for everything it has done against Ukraine and the international legal order.

My schedule for the coming weeks includes precisely such negotiations and appeals that will contribute to the restoration of justice, to the punishment of Russian war criminals. Moreover, this activity is aimed not only at Europe and other traditional regions for the work of Ukrainian diplomacy. We will do everything so that Latin America, Asia and Africa hear the truth about Russian terror on our land as well.

In the past week, many talked about the alleged “operational pause” in the actions of the occupiers in Donbas and other parts of Ukraine. 34 airstrikes by Russian aircraft over the past day is an answer to all those who came up with this “pause”. The Ukrainian army is holding on firmly, repelling attacks in various directions. But, of course, a lot still needs to be done so that Russian losses really cause such pause. Moreover, the pause not before new offensives of the occupiers, but before their retreat from our Ukrainian land. And I am grateful to all our fighters who are bringing this time closer.

It is inevitable, as is the punishment for the occupiers. But we have to hold on, we have to fight together on all fronts now – on the political, information and economic fronts, without showing weakness anywhere. We can withstand this war only together – absolutely everyone, every Ukrainian man, every Ukrainian woman.

Glory to all who protect our native state!

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 9 July 2022.

Dear Ukrainians, I wish you all health!

A brief report on the events of the day – it’s already the 136th day of our defense.

Today, I held a meeting with President of the French Senate Gerard Larcher and a delegation of senators after Mr. Larcher delivered his speech in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. And I am grateful to him for his inspired and neat address. The address, in which he reminded, in particular, that the front line holds as long as the rear holds, and our rear is now not only the free part of Ukraine, but also all 27 countries of the European Union, the entire democratic world. Therefore, our entire team, the Ukrainian team, works 24/7 to keep the interests of our state and our defense in the focus of every country that is already or may become part of our anti-war coalition.

Mr. Larcher also said another important thing: with every attack on Ukraine, with every crime of the Russian occupiers, with every new martyr city, the resoluteness of Europeans to help Ukraine becomes more stable. It really is. However, the terrorist state does not understand this at all and will never accept it as a fact. Only in one day, the Russian army attacked the cities of Mykolaiv and Kharkiv, Kryvy Rih, the communities of Zaporizhzhia region… It fired precisely at the residential sector – absolutely deliberately, purposefully, at ordinary houses and civilian objects. There are casualties – dead, wounded. The brutal strikes of the Russian artillery in Donbas do not stop for a single day – the Sloviansk direction, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka… You can really stop such terrorist actions only with modern, high-precision and potent weapons.

And I want to thank the United States of America for the decision to provide Ukraine with a new defense aid package in the amount of $400 million. Additional HIMARS launchers units and other high-precision weapons allow us to take precisely anti-terrorist steps and reduce Russian attack capabilities.

I held a meeting today with representatives of construction companies – with those on whom the quality of Ukrainian infrastructure – our supply routes – depends. The question of building a high-quality transport network is always also a question of safety. And in the conditions of the full-scale war, strong infrastructure is one of the key elements of defense. I thanked the representatives of the construction companies for their work, discussed with them the key tasks for the near future – it concerns both the reconstruction of our country and the additional strengthening of our logistics.

Today, I signed decrees on the dismissal of some ambassadors of Ukraine. This rotation is a normal part of diplomatic practice. New representatives of Ukraine will be appointed to the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Norway and India. Candidates are being prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

I am already preparing for the new week – there will be important news, including from government officials.

Thank you to everyone who defends the state!

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 8 July 2022.

I wish good health to you, dear Ukrainians!

Today, I worked all day in the field – in the city of Dnipro and in the region, in Kryvy Rih. I was on the front lines of our defense in Dnipropetrovsk region. I listened to the reports of the commanders, thanked our boys and girls, who are defending the region, on behalf of all Ukrainians.

I awarded the Golden Star to the Hero of Ukraine, Lieutenant Colonel Oleh Hrudzevych – commander of the tank battalion. Thanks to his personal bravery, his unit got out of the encirclement without casualties and destroyed the Russian sabotage group in a battle. A very strong person, you can feel it.

I visited the famous Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro to personally thank our special heroes – all the doctors and nurses who have been rescuing our wounded soldiers and civilians every day since February 24 and since 2014. They are extremely successful on their front lines and gave second birthdays, saved the lives of thousands of our people.

I presented state awards to our defenders who are recovering from injuries.

I am really very grateful for all the kind words I heard today in Dnipro, that I heard on the front line. Thank you, first of all.

Today, I addressed the Parliament of Slovenia. Every day and under any circumstances, we work as much as possible on the foreign policy front. And, by the way, this was already the twenty-fourth address to the parliaments of the EU countries and the first that was made near the front line. I hope that the three other EU countries will also feel that these appeals are not about politics, but about the protection of our common freedom, by the way, and therefore, we will come to the point that one day I will be able to say: all 27 parliaments of the European Union hear the struggle for freedom better than any Russian manipulations.

I also held all the necessary meetings with the leaders of Dnipropetrovsk region in general and Kryvy Rih district in particular – both military and civilian. It was about security, economy, social issues. Officials must do not just everything possible, but much more than even possible, to guarantee people a normal standard of living even in such wartime conditions.

I am returning to the capital of Ukraine.

Of course, I want to say two more things.

I congratulated Chief Commissar Zaluzhny on his birthday today. I wished him good health, I wished him and all of us the most important thing – victory. Thank you for your service!

And tomorrow, on July 9, and in fact already after sunset today, the Muslim community begins to celebrate Kurban Bayram. This is a special holiday that teaches sacrifice and guides people to do good deeds. I want to congratulate now all Muslims of Ukraine and the world and wish that the rule of peace is restored, and all kinds of evil always lose the sooner the better. The Crimean Tatar people especially expect this, and I believe that the year will come when we will welcome each other in a free Crimea.

Kurban Bayramınız Hayırlı ve mübarek olsun! Congratulations on the blessed holiday – Kurban Bayram!

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 7 July 2022.

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

Today, the main topic in our country has become the British topic – Boris Johnson’s decision to resign as party leader and Prime Minister. In the afternoon I spoke with him and thanked for the support we have received since the first day of Russian terror.

First of all, these are weapons: Stinger air defense systems, cool NLAW anti-tank systems, artillery, ammunition, armored vehicles and many, many other things. Substantial political support, strong sanctions against Russia, financial assistance to our state – more than two billion pounds have been allocated for security and defense needs alone since February 24.

Britain’s role in protecting freedom is truly global. And although this is a reflection of the position of British society, the leadership and charisma of the state leader are always of special importance. Especially at such a time – the time of Russia’s full-scale anti-European war, which started its attack on Europe precisely from our state. So it is not surprising that Ukrainians feel personal gratitude to Boris.

But let’s not forget that we are building relations between states. Great Britain’s support for Ukraine should not change, no matter what happens in London’s power circles, both Boris and all our friends in the United Kingdom assured me of this.

I met today in Kyiv with representatives of the US Congress – Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal. They represent both parties, Republican and Democratic, and both support Ukraine very fundamentally. They were the authors of the resolution calling on the Department of State to recognize Russia as a state – sponsor of terrorism. I thanked them for this activity and hope that it will be brought to fruition.

I informed the senators about the situation on the frontline, about what the occupiers are preparing for. In particular, we talked about Donbas, the south of our country, the Kharkiv region. Today, the Russian army hit Kramatorsk again – again with missiles. The occupiers also hit Kharkiv, the cities of Donbas…

In each direction, our partners have accurate information about our defense needs. This concerns air defense, modern MLRS. The greater the defense aid to Ukraine is now, the sooner the war will end with our victory and the smaller will be the losses of all countries of the world, the losses of the United States from Russian pressure on democratic societies.

Tomorrow I will continue the series of appeals to the European parliaments – it is Slovenia’s turn. Tomorrow there will also be a lot of internal Ukrainian news – a very meaningful day is ahead.

After the conference in Lugano, which was dedicated to the recovery of Ukraine, government officials have already agreed on emergency aid to our country in the amount of more than $2 billion – these funds will be directed to strengthening the budget and preparing for winter. By the way, export of Ukrainian electricity to EU countries, which has already started, is a significant support both now and during the heating season. The price of electricity on the European market is higher than in Ukraine, and this will enable energy companies to use the earned funds to provide services for Ukrainian consumers. Moreover, with unchanged tariffs.

Also, government officials are actively working on the logistics of agricultural exports. I heard the reports from the Minister of Infrastructure and the Minister of Agrarian Policy on this topic today. We will do everything to maintain access to the world market despite the Russian blockade of our ports.

And, of course, today I want to express gratitude for the final stage of the struggle for Zmiinyi – our national flag was hoisted there. This operation lasted two months. Intelligence, Special Operations Forces, “Alpha” unit of the Security Service, border guards, gunners, Navy, Air Force. And now let every Russian captain – whether of a ship or an aircraft – see the Ukrainian flag on Zmiinyi and know that our state cannot be broken.

I am grateful to everyone who defends Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 6 July 2022.

Ukrainians!

All our defenders!

Today in Kharkiv, the Pedagogical University was destroyed by a Russian missile strike – the main building, lecture halls, university museum, scientific library. This characterizes the Russian invasion with 100% accuracy. When it comes to the definition of barbarism, this strike fits the bill the most. Only an enemy of civilization and humanity can do such things – strike missiles at a university, a pedagogical university.

Already the second object dedicated to Hryhoriy Skovoroda was damaged by this strike – a monument that was on the square in front of the university. It was covered with debris, but still the monument is not broken. And the Skovoroda museum located in the Kharkiv region burned down after Russian shelling back in May. However, paraphrasing the most famous words of Skovoroda, no matter how hard the occupiers try to catch us, they will fail. We will definitely endure. And we will restore everything.

Finally it is felt that the Western artillery – the weapons we received from our partners – started working very powerfully. Its accuracy is exactly as needed. Our defenders inflict very noticeable strikes on depots and other spots that are important for the logistics of the occupiers. And this significantly reduces the offensive potential of the Russian army. The losses of the occupiers will only increase every week, as will the difficulty of supplying them.

Today, the general public became aware that in the south of our country, in the occupied areas, access to social networks, messengers and YouTube was closed. Russian forces have blocked any possibility for people to know the truth about what is happening and about our potential, which we are gradually increasing.

Ukrainian forces are currently advancing in several tactical directions, in particular in the south – in the Kherson region, in the Zaporizhzhia region. We will not give up our land – the entire sovereign territory of Ukraine will be Ukrainian. People should know it. Therefore, if you have an opportunity to speak with people in the south of our country – with Kherson, Henichesk, Berdyansk, Melitopol and other cities and villages – please spread the truth there. Use every opportunity to tell the people in the occupied areas that we remember them and we are fighting for them. We are fighting for our entire south, for the entire Ukrainian Donbas – the most brutal confrontation is currently there, near Slovyansk and Bakhmut. We are fighting for the Kharkiv region. The occupiers should not think that their time on this land is long-lasting and that the superiority of their artillery is eternal.

I held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Staff. As always, I listened to the reports both from the military and from intelligence. We jointly determined the directions of action for the near future.

We are expanding our country’s foreign policy vectors. For the first time in the history of Ukrainian-Paraguayan relations, I had a conversation with the President of Paraguay – we appreciate the support from this country, and we will continue to strengthen ties in Latin America. I also spoke with the President of Mozambique today – I congratulated his country on the election to the UN Security Council, and I believe that Africa should get more representation on international platforms and in solving global issues. It is the African countries that are now most threatened by the food crisis provoked by Russia, and we must do everything to force the terrorist state to unblock Ukrainian agricultural exports.

A visit to Kyiv by the Prime Minister of Ireland took place, a country that helps us significantly. Ireland even helped us convince representatives of skeptical states in the European Union that Ukraine deserves candidacy and future membership in the EU. We also remember that the Senate of Ireland recognized the crimes of the Russian occupiers as genocide of the Ukrainian people. This step, as well as Ireland’s support for legal efforts to punish Russian war criminals, is very important. The help of partners together with the work of Ukrainian law enforcement officers are the very bricks from which the restoration of justice for Ukraine will be built.

Every Russian murderer, torturer and rapist who came to our land will be held accountable. And it doesn’t matter how long it takes to complete this task. There will be no peace for any of the occupiers.

I am grateful to everyone who fights for Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 5 July 2022.

Ukrainians!

All our defenders!

On the night of July 5, an air alert was announced over almost the entire territory of our country. Before that, there has been no air alert in the capital and in some regions for some time, and some people even felt particularly anxious because of such unusual silence. They were overthinking, dreading, looking for some kind of explanation – as if the occupiers were preparing for something… Actually, you shouldn’t overthink. You should not look for logic in the actions of terrorists. The Russian army does not take any breaks. It has one task – to take people’s lives, to intimidate people – so that even a few days without an air alarm already feel like part of the terror. And this evening, Kyiv and again almost the whole of Ukraine heard the air alarm. As of now, there are reports of strikes at the Khmelnytskyi region – victims, wounded are now being specified.

Our task is to hold on, to take care of ourselves, including our emotions, to help the country’s defense as much as possible, to protect the state, as much as it will be necessary for our victory.

The occupiers again hit the Sumy region, Mykolaiv and the region, the Dnipropetrovsk region. Some of the missiles were shot down by our air defense forces. And we have not reduced and will not reduce our diplomatic activity for a single day to obtain modern anti-missile systems for Ukraine in sufficient quantity.

This is a maximum task for our state – to provide basic security for Ukrainians, basic protection against missile attacks already this year. But the fulfillment of this task depends not only on us, but also on the understanding of our fundamental needs by our partners.

I spoke today with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. I thanked him for increasing security assistance to our nation by £100 million more, on top of the £1 billion defense support package announced recently. This is a very tangible aid for us.

We also discussed with Boris the system of security guarantees for Ukraine, which we are developing, which should work in the long term for our people.

Together with the Presidents of Moldova and Greece I took part in the format of a special conference of The Economist. This is already the 26th such annual event, and this year Ukraine and security were, of course, the main words at it. Why do we need it? Our state needs certainty with a safe space right now. We are working very actively to ensure that all our partners both in Europe and on other continents understand our vision of security guarantees.

Today, the results of two months of work of the United24 state charitable platform were summed up. Over this time, thanks to the participation of people from dozens of countries, we managed to collect more than two billion hryvnias for the needs of Ukraine. This is not only help to our defenders, but also contributions to demining and humanitarian needs.

I personally thanked Liev Schreiber, a very famous actor, for joining United24 as an ambassador. He is a co-founder of the BlueCheck charitable organization, which financed programs for psychological support and evacuation of more than twenty thousand orphans from boarding schools and orphanages in the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv, Odesa regions. Liev’s organization also helps families of IDPs in Lviv. Now he, together with Andriy Shevchenko and Elina Svitolina, will work in the humanitarian direction.

And one more thing is very important. Today there were a lot of disputes in society regarding the decision of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to approve the Procedure for obtaining certain permits for those liable for military service, conscripts and reservists. I see that there are different assessments of such a decision, there is misunderstanding and even indignation in society. I instructed the Minister of Defense, the Chief of the General Staff, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to report all the details to me during tomorrow’s regular meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief as one of the items on the agenda. I promise the people to figure it out.

And I ask the General Staff not to make such decisions without me in the future.

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 4 July 2022.

Ukrainians!

All our defenders!

Today, two important professional holidays are celebrated in our country: the Day of the Naval Forces of Ukraine and the Day of Anti-Aircraft Missile Troops. I sincerely congratulate all defenders of Ukraine who serve in these troops, I congratulate all veterans of the fleet, all veterans of anti-aircraft missile troops. Thanks to your service and your bravery, thousands of lives of our people have been saved.

The Russian occupiers suffered very significant losses both at sea and in the sky. They have not had such losses for many decades. Thanks again for your service!

The main task of the state is to do everything for our heroes, our warriors from all branches of the army to have everything necessary for the defense of the state, to have the most modern weapons. It is not easy, it takes a lot of effort, it requires many negotiations, but we will ensure such a supply. Ukraine will reach the level when the fire superiority of the occupiers will be nullified. We are not losing a single day – we convince our partners, establish new connections, use all opportunities – political, diplomatic, information…

Today, the Russian army once again brutally shelled Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, Kharkiv with MLRS and “Smerch” systems. In Slovyansk alone, six people are on the list of dead, and about twenty are wounded. A girl died, her name was Yeva. She would have turned 10 in August this year…

Russia has enough Smerch, Uragan and Grad systems to destroy city after city in Ukraine. They have now accumulated their largest firepower in Donbas. And they can use tens of thousands of artillery shells every day on one section of the front. This is reality. That is why we destroy the potential of the occupiers – day after day, calculatedly, powerfully. And, of course, the HIMARS systems we received and other weapons from partners play an important role in this. The fact that we protect the lives of our soldiers, our people, plays an equally important role. We will rebuild the walls, we will regain the land, but people must be saved above all else.

And if the command of our army withdraws people from certain points of the front where the enemy has the greatest fire superiority, in particular this applies to Lysychansk, it means only one thing: we will return thanks to our tactics, thanks to the increase in the supply of modern weapons.

Ukraine does not give anything up. And when someone over there in Moscow reports something about the Luhansk region – let them remember their reports and promises before February 24, in the first days of this invasion, in the spring and now. Let them really evaluate what they got over this time and how much they paid for it. Because their current reports will turn into dust just as the previous ones. We are gradually moving forward – in the Kharkiv region, in the Kherson region and at sea: Zmiinyi is a good example of this. There will be a day when we will say the same about Donbas.

The Prime Minister of Australia visited Kyiv today. A historical moment. And this is a very important visit. Australia is one of the top countries in terms of its level of support. We have already received significant defense assistance from it. Today, Mr. Prime Minister announced a new support package. I am grateful to him for that. Australia will also increase sanctions against Russia. This is the result of our constant activity, which increases the cost of this war for Russia.

The Russian economy found itself in the biggest crisis in the last 50 years. The world severs ties with Russia. The words “collapse”, “deficit” and “poverty” will be the description of Russian life as long as this state wants to be a terrorist state.

They lost more than 35 thousand soldiers, and this is a conservative estimate. What is all this for? For the sake of insane propagandists to be able to show a Russian or Soviet flag on the ruins somewhere in their broadcasts… There is simply no other answer.

It is clear to everyone in the world – and, I am sure, to all the sane people in Russia itself – that Ukraine will win. It’s only a matter of time. It is a matter, unfortunately, of the losses we suffer, primarily of people. It is a matter of modern weapons, which we must get and will definitely get.

Tomorrow there will be a conference in Switzerland dedicated to the reconstruction of Ukraine. Today in Kyiv, I met with the President of the International Olympic Committee, and one of his initiatives is the convening of a special conference to raise funds for the restoration of Ukrainian sports infrastructure… These and many other international initiatives simply would not exist if the world doubted our victory.

Therefore, we must continue focused work, fight and beat the occupiers until we regain our entire country. Ukraine will be free.

I am grateful to everyone who defends the state!

Glory to Ukraine!