Dear Ukrainians!
Briefly about this day. First, I congratulated our Marines. Right here in the Mariinskyi Palace, I presented state awards to our warriors. Today is Ukrainian Marine Corps Day. Thank you, warriors! We are all proud of our Marine Corps!
I also thank the Security Service of Ukraine – today saw our successful long-range sanction against Russia – a distance of 1,700 kilometers from our Ukraine’s state border, and a precise hit in the Perm region. A Russian military-industrial enterprise that supports the operation of other Russian military production facilities and the manufacturing of explosives, as well as components for aviation equipment and drones. It is very important that Ukrainian sanctions successfully reach such targets and prove effective at such a range.
Also, I thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine – they continue to deliver justified responses against Russia’s oil industry facilities. Today, it was Novorossiysk, an oil terminal and transshipment facility. And it is only right that Russia is losing oil export revenues. It was precisely oil and gas that made Russia so arrogant that it now allows itself to wage war in the modern world and continue to threaten all others.
All forms of sanctions against Russia and its accomplices must continue to function, and every easing of sanctions also weakens global security and delays peace. We are currently working with our European partners on new sanctions packages, and I am grateful to our partners for taking Ukrainian proposals into account.
Today, I signed a new Ukrainian sanctions package that we must ensure is extended to other jurisdictions as well. These sanctions target the occupiers – more than one hundred Russian military personnel involved in missile and drone strikes against our country and our people. There is also a package targeting vessels used by Russia to transport cargo for the war – weapons, ammunition, and military equipment. We are also preparing new sanctions decisions – both long-range and legal.
And one more thing. We are actively engaged in diplomatic work with our partners in the European Union to bring Ukraine’s membership in the EU closer. Ukraine is fighting for its life, for its independence, and for the Europe that has lived in peace the longest, that protects people, life and culture, and that, thanks to this protection, plays a truly global role.
There can be no complete European project without Ukraine, and Ukraine’s place in the European Union must also be complete – full and equal. It is important to open the clusters. It is important to make meaningful progress in the negotiations. It is important to work at one hundred percent for security and for our people. I thank everyone who stands with us, with Ukraine!
Glory to Ukraine!