Thank you, Mr. Chancellor!
Dear attendees!
Dear journalists!
I would like to thank Germany for this opportunity to reinvigorate our work toward peace. These are truly important days that can determine a lot and, I hope, help bring peace closer – even though this is very difficult. Germany, and the Chancellor personally, are providing us with very serious, professional, and strong support – support for Ukraine, for our people, for our right to independence and to a normal European way of life. This is exactly what we have to fight for now. Please reflect on this: Ukrainians are forced, with weapons in their hands, here and now, in the 21st century, to defend their right to live independently, to live in Europe, with a European way of life – a way of life in which people are truly respected. And we are fighting, including through negotiations, to ensure that Ukraine’s interests are respected – Ukraine’s ordinary and fair interests. And we feel that our partners listen to Ukraine, are ready to help, and are prepared to seek solutions that can make peace dignified and security guaranteed. I want to emphasize this once again – and I emphasized it during the negotiations as well: security guarantees must work and must be clear first and foremost to the people of Ukraine. I thank Germany once again for supporting us in this.
For the past two days, on the margins of my visit to Berlin, meetings have taken place with the American team – with envoys of the President of the United States of America. Yesterday, our meeting lasted more than five hours; today, there have already been several rounds of negotiations, and they are ongoing. There was a substantive discussion during the day, and our representatives will continue the dialogue with their American counterparts. The Ukrainian delegation is working almost around the clock to achieve a result – a result that will respect the people of Ukraine.
Of course, not all issues are simple; there are difficult things, particularly regarding territories. Naturally, everyone raises this issue, and it is important that we all work toward ensuring that these matters are absolutely fair. There has been sufficient dialogue on territorial issues, and it seems to me that for now we have different positions – I will be frank about that – but I believe that our counterparts heard my personal position. I am very glad that I was able to convey this position personally. But everyone is ready to work productively to find solutions that respect Ukraine and bring the end of the war closer. Ukraine is ready to continue working with maximum quality, constructively and honestly, so that the final agreement is strong. There will be further meetings today; we are also coordinating in detail with the Chancellor, with Friedrich – thank you, Friedrich – and with our other European leaders.
We greatly value the bilateral agenda in our relations with Germany as well. We have just been together with the Chancellor at an economic forum – the Ukrainian–German business forum. Cooperation between our companies, as well as our joint projects – those of Ukraine and Germany – is what truly helps us: both us in Ukraine and you in Germany. Our technologies and our expertise are what can strengthen all of Europe, and it is important that European industry and Europe’s overall potential continue to grow. We will also resume the intergovernmental consultations format between our countries, and this will certainly support all projects that strengthen our companies, our industry, and above all the energy sector – in both Ukraine and Germany. It is in Berlin that the first office of our new export project will be opened – an export platform that will make it possible to combine our technological capabilities with your economic strength, including in the area of modern, effective drones.
And one more point.
We must not forget that Russian strikes continue every day. Every day we need to defend our cities and our positions. Every day, recovery is needed. That is why we continue all cooperation to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense – and this literally saves lives every day. That is why we are grateful for the continuation of Germany’s support programs for our resilience – support for next year has been preserved, and we appreciate this. I would like to especially note Germany’s strong, honest, and rational position on the use of frozen Russian assets for the purpose of defending against Russia’s aggression. Incidentally, we devoted quite a significant amount of time to this issue yesterday. It is also very important that our partners received our clear position from me personally. The European solution that is now on the table can truly help – not only with protection here and now from Russian strikes and Russian aggression, but also in the long term. It sends the right signal to Russia that the war must be brought to an end, because the one who starts a war must bear the greatest losses. I thank the Chancellor once again for supporting this – the format of a reparations loan and all formats that restore justice. They are important to us. Thank you, Germany, for organizing this visit, which is important for Ukraine.
Glory to Ukraine!
