I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!
I spent the whole day today in the Sumy region – with our brigades, with the heroic men and women who are actively defending our land and who carried out our offensive operation in the Kursk region. Today marks the anniversary of the Kursk operation – a truly Ukrainian historic operation. We brought the war onto the territory of the aggressor state and are still operating on its territory. At a time when many spoke that the situation had reached a stalemate, and were losing faith in Ukraine, we proved that Ukrainians know how to act right. And we proved that many of Russia’s threats were just bluffs. Today, I want to thank all our warriors – every soldier, sergeant, and officer – all the men and women who took part in the Kursk operation. Thirteen hundred kilometers of Russian territory were under our control. And this forced the Russians not only to pull their forces away from the Donetsk region, but also to ask North Korea for help. We thwarted Russia’s plan to expand its offensive against Sumy and Kharkiv. Our men captured more than a thousand Russian POWs in the Kursk region – including some whose capture helped unblock, among other things, complex prisoner exchanges. It was one of the most important chapters of this war. I personally thanked our warriors today – the 225th Assault Regiment, the 80th Halytska Brigade, and our glorious 95th Brigade. I’m proud of you, warriors! Of course, I also thanked Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi – this is his operation. We discussed our current actions in the east of Ukraine, in the border areas, and on Russian territory. We talked about what our troops need. We will get it all done: pickup trucks, other vehicles – ATVs. We’ll also resolve the funding issues for the brigades, many specific issues – explosives, certain types of drones. Clear instructions have been given to the Ministry of Defense. We will get everything done.
Today, here in the Sumy region, there was a report from Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal on recent updates within the Ministry. First – maximum orders for Ukrainian manufacturers so that 50 percent of the weapons on the front lines are ours, Ukrainian. Second – development of digital services and all systems, including Delta. Third – reducing bureaucracy. Fourth – clear, very clear communication with our brigades and units regarding their needs. Fifth – the full range of personnel-related issues. We all understand the challenges here, and the Ministry must resolve them together with the military.
And one more thing.
Right on my way from our brigades here in the Sumy region, I spoke with President Trump. This conversation happened after President Trump's representative, Steve Witkoff, visited Moscow. Our joint position with our partners is absolutely clear and transparent – the war must end. And it must be done honestly. It is very important to do it honestly. European leaders were on the call, and I am grateful to each of them for their support. We discussed what was spelled out in Moscow. Russia now seems to be more inclined toward a ceasefire – the pressure is working. But the key is to ensure they don’t deceive anyone in the details – neither us, nor the United States. We have proposed that in the near future, our representatives – from Ukraine and our partners, our national security advisors – hold talks to determine our position, our common position, and our shared vision. This is very important for us, for Ukraine. Ukraine will definitely defend its independence. We all need a lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it itself started. Thank you to everyone who stands with us, with our nation, with our people, with Ukraine, with our state.
Glory to Ukraine!