I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!
A brief update for today. There were reports from the military on the situation at the front. First and foremost, about the Donetsk direction – Pokrovsk and other key sectors. We are holding our positions, and what matters most is that this is active defense – we are destroying the occupier every single day. I thank each of our units for their resilience and precision. We are also working to ensure that our army is fully supplied with everything necessary for the autumn. There will be meetings, engagement with our partners – we are planning a very active diplomatic week.
Two weeks ago in Washington, it was stated that by this time the Russians should be ready for real negotiations – a meeting at the leaders’ level. Ukraine is definitely ready for this. But the only thing Russia is doing is investing further in war. All their signals point to that. Now, during his visit to China, Putin will once again try to wriggle out. That is his number one sport. Everyone in the world has declared that there must be a ceasefire. Everyone has insisted that the war must end. That has been the position of everyone, including China. I have discussed this with the Prime Minister of India. Also with other leaders who are now at the summit – Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan. Almost everyone else in the world also supports ending the war. Today, there was an important statement from the Pope – I am grateful for that. The only one who wants this war is Russia. That is why we will keep up the pressure – it is Russia that must be pressured. We expect that no one will tolerate the prolongation of this war. We count on a strong stance from the United States, Europe, and the G20 countries. This war brings nothing but destabilization to global processes. Russia must pay for this. And it will.
I also want to thank the partners today who have joined the PURL initiative this month – our special program that allows us to purchase the necessary weapons for Ukraine’s Defense Forces in the United States. In August, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Belgium, and Latvia joined this initiative. The program already exceeds two billion dollars. Coordination is carried out through NATO. I am grateful to everyone involved, and this is a good result for August. September must also deliver accordingly. Our goal is no less than one billion dollars in the program every month. These funds are used to purchase very effective weapons – Patriot and HIMARS missiles, and weapons systems needed to defend our cities. Thank you once again to our partners!
And one more thing. Of course, throughout the day there were reports from Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko and Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk on the investigation into the murder of Andriy Parubiy. They reported on the progress of the investigation and are working through all the circumstances. All necessary forces are involved – the police, the Security Service, the prosecutor’s office. They are working virtually around the clock. I thank everyone who is helping with the investigation. We hope for results.
Glory to Ukraine!