President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, which this time was held in Kyiv and brought together 36 representatives of different countries offline and online. The session was co-chaired online by Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer and President of France Emmanuel Macron.
The Head of State expressed gratitude for the fact that our country has such great friends who stand with Ukraine and against Russian aggression.
The President emphasized that Russia is attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilians, which is why Ukraine is going through a terrible winter.
“Only the help of our friends and the resilience of our people gave us the possibility to survive. That's why we are asking to help us to renovate the energy system. I hope that we will end this war, but anyway we have to think about next winter, and we need quick steps. We have plans,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.
Another point is strengthening air defense, primarily with air defense missiles. The Head of State thanked NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and everyone who supports the PURL initiative. According to the President, two days ago Ukraine received half of the new air defense package within PURL and expects this program to continue.
In addition, it is important to continue working on sanctions. Ukraine counts on the next package of sanctions from the European Union, and it is important that it blocks Russia’s shadow fleet.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer added that it is important to increase pressure on the Russian economy, primarily by reducing Russia’s oil revenues. That is why the United Kingdom today announced the largest sanctions package against more than 300 Russian energy companies and 48 shadow fleet vessels.
President of France Emmanuel Macron emphasized that it is necessary to move forward in the negotiation process while understanding that Russia still does not demonstrate a desire for peace. According to him, partners are ready to provide support to Ukrainian energy infrastructure and will discuss this issue, in particular, at the level of the Group of Seven.
Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz noted that it is important that in April Ukraine receives the first funds from the European Union’s €90 billion loan assistance. He also added that security guarantees must ensure that aggression against Ukraine never happens again.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also emphasized that Ukraine is doing everything possible to involve Europeans in the negotiation process as much as possible to achieve a dignified peace.
“We will have a trilateral format, I think, during this week or 10 days. We need peace, but we have to prepare for any other kind of challenges from the Russian side,” the President said.
The following took part in the meeting in Kyiv in person: President of Finland Alexander Stubb, President of the European Council António Costa, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Estonia Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Iceland Kristrún Frostadóttir, Prime Minister of Latvia Evika Siliņa, Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Radosław Sikorski, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom Yvette Cooper, Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain José Manuel Albares Bueno, and Minister of National Defense of Lithuania Robertas Kaunas.
The meeting was also attended online by the Presidents of Cyprus and Romania, the Federal Chancellor of Austria, the Prime Ministers of Belgium, Bulgaria (acting), Greece, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Montenegro, the NATO Secretary General, the Vice President of the European Commission, the Vice President of Türkiye, the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, the Minister of Defense of Albania, and the Chief Advisor of the Cabinet of Ministers of Japan.
