I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!
Today I have already held a detailed coordination call on all issues related to the emergency situation in the energy sector after the Russian strikes. There are many tasks, and the situation is extremely difficult after this night and “shahed” hits in the Kyiv region. Bucha, Hostomel, and Irpin – work is ongoing. The consequences of the strikes are also being dealt with in Odesa. Kharkiv – more than four hundred thousand people are facing a difficult situation with electricity, also as a result of the strikes. All repair crews and all necessary forces – everything is deployed. I am grateful to everyone who is working for restoration, for people, for their city, for their community. It is important that all political and legal decisions to increase electricity imports have already been made, and they must be implemented without delay. This applies to everyone – both state-owned companies and private ones – and I instructed government officials to address this promptly.
I thank every partner who is now ready to help Ukraine with equipment. There are arrangements for the import of generators and other equipment. We are accelerating all decisions as much as possible. Separately – regarding Kyiv. All government structures are involved, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has deployed additional assistance points. There are also decisions concerning everything that may be needed, including hot meals for people – implementation must be significantly more active. Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy, the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories, and others must verify everything regarding the heating situation in residential buildings, as a significant number of buildings in Kyiv are still without heat.
We spoke with the Minister of Defense of Ukraine about air defense operations, about assessing the consequences of the strikes and the circumstances of every Russian attack. Everything the enemy does must be analyzed down to every detail – and our countermeasures, our protection, must become significantly stronger. And it will. There will also be decisions that are necessary to change our defense system, including personnel decisions. I thank everyone who is helping right now.
I also signed a new sanctions decision – these are sanctions against those who justify the aggression and are used by Russia in propaganda. I approved the next sanctions measures as well – decisions will follow shortly. Pressure on Russia must be maintained, and we will continue working on the synchronization of sanctions – not only regarding partners’ decisions within our jurisdiction, but also regarding Ukrainian sanctions decisions being reflected in the lists of partners. Even now, a significant share of partners’ personal sanctions, as well as entries in their lists against legal entities, is based on Ukraine’s proposals.
Today the Ukrainian delegation is already in the United States. Rustem Umerov, Kyrylo Budanov, and Davyd Arakhamiia. Toward the evening, Kyiv time, I expect the first reports regarding their meetings. The main task for the Ukrainian delegation is to present the full and accurate picture of what is happening and what Russian strikes are causing. Among the consequences of this terror is the discrediting of the diplomatic process: people lose faith in diplomacy, and Russian attacks constantly undermine even the limited opportunities for dialogue that existed before. The American side must understand this. Progress is also needed on the documents that have been in preparation.
Ukraine has never been and will never be a roadblock to peace, and it is now up to our partners to determine whether diplomacy moves forward. I thank everyone who stands with us, who stands with Ukraine.
Glory to Ukraine!