I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!
Today, I held a meeting of the Staff. There were intelligence reports – very thorough ones. We discussed the overall situation: the war, Russia’s intentions, the capabilities of Russia’s troops and its military and industrial complex, as well as our ability to pressure Russia and disrupt its plans. We can see from the information obtained by intelligence and from open-source data that Putin and his entourage do not plan to end the war. There is currently no indication that they are seriously considering peace or diplomacy. On the contrary, there is ample evidence that they are preparing new offensive operations. Russia is counting on a prolonged war. And on their part, this is a blatant disregard for all those around the world who seek peace and are trying to make diplomacy work. I am confident that our partners’ intelligence services are having the same information, seeing the same facts – and it’s important that they do not turn a blind eye, but report to their leadership. The only thing that is needed now is absolutely honest conclusions and appropriate joint pressure on Russia.
All the more so as Russian strikes are becoming increasingly brazen and large-scale every night. Over 900 attack drones launched against Ukraine in just three days, along with ballistic and cruise missiles. There is no military logic in this, but it is a clear political choice – the choice of Putin, the choice of Russia – the choice to keep waging war and destroying lives. Recently, a meeting was held in Istanbul. Now the Russians are supposedly drafting proposals for a memorandum on peace. They've already spent over a week on this. They talk a lot about diplomacy. But when, in the midst of all that, there are constant Russian strikes, constant killings, relentless assaults, and even preparations for new offensives – this is clearly a diagnosis. Russia deserves full-scale pressure – everything that can be done to limit its military capabilities. I thank everyone around the world who understands this. New and strong sanctions against Russia – from the United States, from Europe, and from all those around the world who seek peace – will serve as a guaranteed means of forcing Russia not only to cease fire, but also to show respect. They all must respect the world. Putin must start respecting those he talks to. For now, he is simply playing games with diplomacy and diplomats. That must change.
Today at the Staff meeting, we thoroughly analyzed the consequences of Russian strikes, their drone tactics, and our responses. I instructed a significant increase in the production of our interceptor drones, and we will be engaging more funding from our partners to support this. Relevant updates are being prepared. I also ordered dedicated funding for Ukraine’s ballistic missile program to accelerate missile production. There was also a detailed report from Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Maliuk. There are some good results. Thank you.
And one more thing.
Today, I want to recognize our defenders of the sky. Over the past few days, our combat aviation pilots – flying F-16s and Mirages – have performed very well. A significant portion of the cruise missiles were shot down by them. Thank you! Also, the 11th Shepetivka Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, the 96th Kyiv Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, the 138th Dnipro Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, the 208th Kherson Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, and the 301st Nikopol Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade – thank you for your precision! And my thanks also go to all units defending our skies – mobile fire groups, army aviation helicopters, and electronic warfare specialists. Thank you to everyone who is fighting for Ukraine! And thank you to everyone who helps.
Glory to Ukraine!