Speeches

It is important for us to keep our ambassadors who are truly sincere, who have truly been helping from the first days of the war. It sounds absurd when we put it that way, but it is true. From the first days of the war, they have been doing everything to help us achieve peace. That is such a difficult task. I thank you. And we cannot afford to lose you, your voices.

At all levels, we convey to them both what we need and the fact that we know our partners are capable of meeting this need. We ain’t talking about gifts. Ukraine is ready to buy the weapons. What matters is that decisions be made – appropriate political decisions by our partners, first and foremost in the U.S. 

I expect the Ministry of Defense to expand the operational scope of our deep-strike capabilities, work with Ukrainian weapons manufacturers to provide greater opportunities to defend Ukrainian airspace, and, together with our partners, expand the capabilities of our defensive and offensive operations.

Colonel Konovalets has returned to the very Ukraine he fought for and wanted to see. A strong, sovereign, independent Ukraine. A Ukraine that honors and develops its army.

A meeting with the military and the Minister of Defense. The front was the key issue. We identified additional organizational decisions and the necessary resources to strengthen the capabilities of our units in the Slovyansk sector, in Kostiantynivka, and in the Pokrovsk area.

Here, at the Lavra, and in our other places like this – in our national shrines – you feel that you are part of something much greater, truly greater and longer-lasting than your personal story, your personal experiences, and your personal memory.

The long-range sanctions plan is being implemented, and there are more and more of our mid-range strikes as well. In fact, we have succeeded in blocking off Russia’s south, and we are expanding this strategic operation – quite rightly, in response to Russian strikes on our ports and our cities.

This is indeed a landmark day, one we have been moving toward throughout this year, ever since we decided that we needed to launch this initiative and make it real. The idea was to create the largest permanent program for culture in history.

Putin’s plan is not particularly complicated. He wants to create the impression that Russians supposedly support the war – every party still permitted to run is, one way or another, against peace. And then, after the so-called elections, he plans an additional rapid mobilization of several hundred thousand Russians by the end of the year.

Today marks yet another achievement by our Ukrainian Defense Forces – another facility in Russia’s oil refining industry was hit, and the distance was significant – more than 2,500 kilometers. This was in Tobolsk, in Siberia.