Today, I received a briefing from Mykhailo Drapatyi, Ihor Obolenskyi, and Pavlo Palisa on yet another active operation of ours – Operation Veles, which Khartiia is carrying out in the Kupiansk sector. A strong operation, in my view, sophisticated and technologically advanced.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted the letters of credence from the newly appointed ambassadors of foreign countries: Canada’s Tamara Ann Mawhinney, Spain’s Adela Díaz Bernárdez, Switzerland’s Heidi Grau, Egypt’s Ahmed Salama Mohamed Elhamshary, and Türkiye’s Fatma Ceren Yazgan.

“I am grateful for the detailed briefing and for their active support for our diplomacy and the peace efforts we are pursuing together with all our partners. Alex and Jonas made it clear to the Russian leader that real de-escalatory steps are needed regarding our energy and infrastructure,” the Head of State noted.

The Head of State congratulated Ülle Madise on taking office. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine always wishes the people of Estonia success and the achievement of all their goals.

The parties discussed in detail Ukraine’s European integration and the priorities of Lithuania’s presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2027. “We need to open two more clusters. We hope this will be done by the end of this year – all six clusters will be open in total – and we will move on to dialogue with the member states and work on additional reforms to close chapter after chapter,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

During the meeting, they discussed European integration, particularly the need for Ukraine and Moldova to continue moving together toward membership in the European Union. Any attempts to separate the European integration processes of Ukraine and Moldova are unacceptable.

I thank all Americans and all our partners who took this seriously and truly helped us. I thank members of Congress, senators, all the media, the State Department, and the President. Protecting lives matters.