Ukraine’s priorities remain unchanged: interceptor missiles for air defense systems, ammunition for aircraft, support for the energy sector and the resilience of Ukrainian cities, stronger sanctions, and opening the remaining two clusters for accession to the European Union. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated this during his address to participants of the 9th European Political Community Summit in Dublin.
The Head of State noted that following two days of negotiations in Abu Dhabi, the U.S. President’s envoys, Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are holding talks in Moscow and will then arrive in Dublin to discuss the results with him. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that it is important to involve Europe in the negotiations.
“The talks were serious. Not empty. First, an agreement on a POW exchange. And this is important for us – bringing our people, our warriors, back from Russian captivity. Second, a lot of talk about security guarantees. And here Europe really needs to pay attention,” the President emphasized.
According to the Head of State, when the United States and Russia discuss security, it is not just about security guarantees for Ukraine, but about some kind of new security framework between Europe and Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that for 30 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Europe treated Russia well and tried to develop as much trade and cooperation as possible and establish good relations. Therefore, the Russian leader’s wars are about his attitude toward others, not some kind of permanent, unavoidable confrontation with Europe.
The President emphasized that Ukraine had pushed for steps to de-escalate in the Black Sea and stop attacks on energy infrastructure, but Russia wants to keep striking and sees energy as a battlefield. He noted that Ukraine’s priorities remain unchanged.
“First – air defense. We need interceptor missiles for our Patriots and NASAMS. And I urge you to take this very seriously and help us find these missiles. Second – our F-16 fighter jets and the ammunition they need. We use F-16s to shoot down Russian jet-powered ‘shahed’ drones. The Russians are planning to increase both the production of jet-powered ‘shaheds’ and the number of attacks with them,” the Head of State said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also called for assistance in implementing resilience plans for Ukrainian cities, as the head of Russia has directly expressed his desire to destroy life in Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kherson, and other cities.
Separately, the President noted that Ukraine’s positions at the front are strong. This is a direct result of cooperation, joint defense projects, and joint weapons production. At the same time, problems with Starshield are being detected again. In particular, in the temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine, the speed limit has returned to 161 kilometers per hour – that is 100 miles per hour.
“This directly affects our ability to intercept Russian jet-powered ‘shahed’ drones. These drones come from those areas, and because of the speed restrictions, we simply cannot catch up with them in time. And near the frontline, we cannot use our aircraft. Only drone interceptors can operate there. And without the speed we need, shooting down these ‘shaheds’ becomes much harder. And this means more Russian strikes get through, and more of our people are killed – our civilians are killed by Russia,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
According to the Head of State, Ukraine is trying to obtain details from the American side, but so far, very little is known.
“But some things are already clear. If someone in America is making decisions that basically treat Ukrainian territory as if it is not Ukrainian, then this tells us where things are going. We need to be clear and never recognize Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory in any way,” the President noted.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also called for opening the remaining two clusters and strengthening sanctions against Russia. He noted that Russia must feel that terror brings more pressure. Therefore, sanctions are needed against everything Russia uses to produce ballistic missiles, attack drones, and communications systems, as well as against Russia’s fleet that carries oil and oil products, and Russian banks and other financial institutions.
The European Political Community (EPC) is a forum for political and strategic discussions established in 2022 at the initiative of President of France Emmanuel Macron following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Meetings take place twice a year.
European Political Community summits bring together heads of state or government from all European Union member states and countries of the wider European neighborhood, as well as leaders of EU institutions and representatives of other multilateral organizations. The ninth summit in Ireland brought together around 50 leaders. EPC participants first met in October 2022 in Czechia. In 2023, meetings were held in Moldova and Spain; in 2024, in the United Kingdom and Hungary; and last year, in Albania and Denmark. This year’s first meeting took place in Armenia.
