Fellow Ukrainians!
Today, we are doing a lot of work internationally to ensure that we have sufficient capabilities to defend against Russian strikes. I spoke with the President of France today, as well as with the Prime Ministers of Poland and the Netherlands. Thank you all for your readiness to hear Ukraine and to help us. We are now sourcing munitions for F-16s virtually all over the world – as of today, this is one of the most effective tools for shooting down jet-powered “shaheds.” Packages are already on the way, and there will be more, so that our aircraft have what they need to protect our cities. I thank the Prime Minister of the Netherlands – it was both very constructive and very prompt today – thank you, Rob! I also thank France for the new steps. Emmanuel and I agreed that Ukrainian pilots are beginning training on Rafales – this will support both our air defense and France’s industry. We discussed some details of the situation with the Prime Minister of Poland and coordinated our work at the European Union level. And if the security situation in Ukraine allows, we will definitely meet in the coming weeks with the Prime Minister. Donald – Mr. Prime Minister – thank you!
Today, we also spoke with Prime Minister of Ukraine Sergii Koretskyi about additional protective measures. The Minister of Defense, the Minister of Infrastructure, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine delivered important reports today. Every day, we are increasing the level of protection – this concerns turrets, as well as special crews for shooting down “shaheds.” We expect manufacturers to move quickly on interceptors. The tasks have been defined, and the funding is available. We are preparing new contracts for air defense systems and missiles for air defense. While there are no public details yet, there may be some positive steps. This is important for us. It is important that there are solutions. And I also ask our partners – we need more anti-ballistic capabilities to protect infrastructure specifically. This is the main challenge now.
Leaders can see what is happening and that Russia is definitely not going to move from escalation to negotiations. Of course, we are using every possible option to intensify diplomacy. I expect that the U.S. side will succeed in arranging a trilateral meeting in October. Our team is ready for a meeting. Readiness is needed from Russia. Diplomacy needs to become one of Russia’s priorities as well. For now, they are focused solely on strikes against Ukraine and destabilizing activities in Europe. Putin now knows the situation in Europe – in specific countries – and the statistics on strikes far better than he knows what is actually happening on the front. His priorities are clear. And an important task for America and all our strong partners is to push Russia toward diplomacy and real steps instead of killing.
Today, Russia used drones to sink a ship carrying corn in the neutral waters of the Black Sea – an entirely peaceful cargo. The vessel was chartered from Türkiye and operated by citizens of Azerbaijan and India. The ship’s captain was killed, and another crew member is missing.
Also today, a rescue operation continued throughout the day in Kharkiv following a strike by Russian bombs – more than 50 people were injured. People were searched for under the rubble, and tragically, there are people killed. My condolences to all their families and loved ones. Right now, all leaders – all of us in Europe, everyone in America, absolutely all our partners – need to focus and, right now, in October, provide the maximum possible protection against Russian strikes and the maximum possible support for our diplomatic capabilities. Thank you to everyone who is truly helping actively! And please, take care of yourselves.
Glory to Ukraine!