I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!
I have just spoken with the President of the United States, President Trump. I congratulated him on his birthday and on the U.S. Army Birthday – today, America marks two occasions. We had a very good conversation, and it was not only about congratulations – there were many key topics: the war, its roots, diplomatic opportunities, and the positions of our partners. We spoke at length and in great detail.
We have one wish for President Trump – from all Ukrainians: that we may finally achieve peace, and achieve this success together with the U.S. and all our partners. This is the most important thing we all want, and it is crucial that American society fully supports this Ukrainian aspiration of ours – the aspiration for a dignified peace – and supports us in defending ourselves against Russia’s war.
And President Trump’s remarks today were absolutely spot-on, particularly regarding our Crimea: it was Russia’s seizure of Crimea that started it all, and if there had been strong leadership back then, this entire war simply wouldn’t have happened. It would not have happened.
I thanked the U.S. President for all the assistance the United States has provided. We agreed on our meeting – in the coming days, G7 meetings will take place in Europe, and of course, Ukraine, our defense, and our prospects for achieving peace will be among the main topics. We already have an intensive schedule planned for the entire coming week – including with our European partners and all G7 participants.
It will be an important week, and we are counting on results. First and foremost, of course, air defense for Ukraine, political agreements that will bolster our defenses here in Ukraine, there will be the opening of a cluster – a cluster for Ukraine and Moldova – and steps toward a lasting peace. We will discuss some ideas with our partners – ideas that, for now, are not public.
Today, we also have reason to be especially grateful to the UK – the British detained a Russian oil tanker off their coast, and this is the first such step taken specifically by the UK. This year, detentions of Russia’s shadow fleet in European waters have become an established practice. Oil must be stopped to bring Russia’s war closer to an end. Thank you, Britain!
We will speak with partners in Europe about legislative changes that would finally make it possible to detain for longer periods the tankers that earn money for Putin’s war – for him alone – and to confiscate this oil.
Today in Ukraine, we also released the latest intelligence data – about the reports and documents that end up on the desk of the Russian leadership. These are unwelcome reports for him – and they aren’t even fully truthful. The approval ratings for both Putin and his ruling party are dropping, and very noticeably. This trend cannot be reversed – he must know this, he must feel it, especially when he responds negatively to our proposals for a meeting, negotiations, and a real end to the war.
Of course, I am grateful to each of our warriors, to all Ukrainians who defend the positions of our state, who work for Ukraine, and who help us uphold our national Ukrainian interests. This summer, we all need to be as effective and active as possible – we are not wasting a single day, and we are not missing a single opportunity. We are counting on results from the coming week, and we are working – working to make that happen.
Glory to Ukraine!