Mr. President, dear journalists,
Aleksandar, your team,
Dear Serbia,
I want to thank you for your respect for us, for Ukraine, for your respect and hospitality, and for your support for our people – above all, for your support for our state, our independence, and territorial integrity. We deeply appreciate this.
The situation in Ukraine is difficult. Last night, there was another missile strike – ballistic missiles targeting our infrastructure. There were also attack drones, including jet-powered “shahed” drones. Once again, energy and our railway facilities were targeted – trains are delayed across the country. Civilian enterprises were also struck. Efforts to deal with the aftermath are still ongoing, and fires are being extinguished. This morning, I received a report – all frontline communities had also come under attack. Unfortunately, thirteen people were killed in these strikes across Ukraine in just 24 hours – from 9 a.m. yesterday to 9 a.m. today. And this is truly a terrible tragedy. The tragedy of Russia’s aggression against independent Ukraine. My condolences to all the families and loved ones. Seventy-seven people were wounded across our regions – twelve regions came under attack. And virtually every night, every day – now for the fifth year – we in Ukraine have been forced to endure all these strikes. Russian attacks are directed primarily against facilities that serve the everyday needs of our people. We have virtually no undamaged power plants left. Many railway stations, hospitals, universities, and ordinary civilian enterprises have been destroyed. At a time of such a war, we value and are deeply grateful for all the support Ukraine receives from other countries and other peoples. And, of course, we are developing every format of cooperation that can give our people, our cities, and our communities greater resilience and a stronger ability to endure despite all the challenges of war. We are grateful that Serbia will provide a new package of humanitarian support for Ukraine, particularly in the areas of healthcare and energy. This is extremely important to us. Thank you, Mr. President!
Yesterday evening and today, President Vučić and I discussed our bilateral cooperation with Serbia – things that can make our infrastructure stronger, including our ports and railways in both countries, and strengthen our economies and security overall. There are specific infrastructure development projects, as well as, above all, reconstruction projects in Ukraine, that we can implement together. This would be significant in terms of preserving and creating new, decent jobs in Ukraine and Serbia. We also discussed cooperation in food security. Whatever happens, people must be given every opportunity to live. We also spoke about this winter’s challenges for Ukraine – when virtually not a single thermal power plant remains intact because of Russian strikes, and when Russian missiles are aimed specifically at making life unbearable for Ukrainians. All our energy cooperation projects with partners are of great significance, and it is important that there are ways to strengthen energy cooperation between our countries. Our teams must work hard to accelerate the agreement on a free trade area between Ukraine and Serbia. These negotiations are moving forward, which is positive, and it would be good to have everything ready by the end of this year to conclude a free trade agreement between Ukraine and Serbia. We discussed relations with the European Union, and we will be glad if Serbia’s path toward EU membership accelerates. All of us in Europe must cooperate with one another as productively as possible, on the basis of mutual respect and mutually beneficial relations. It is important that every nation in Europe receives clear signals from the European Union – a clear sense – that Europe needs that nation and that Europe cannot afford to lose anyone.
The President and I also discussed diplomacy and all diplomatic opportunities that could help bring this war to an end. It is important that people everywhere in the world know that we want a dignified peace – and this is true, this is a fact – and that every opportunity be used for the sake of peace and guaranteed security – every available opportunity, in Washington, in Beijing, in the capitals of Europe, in the capitals of our partners in the Middle East and the Gulf, and in every capital around the world that has influence on the relevant processes.
And one more thing. I want to thank everyone in Serbia – everyone who welcomed Ukrainians after the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine, and everyone who treated our people with respect and care. We will never forget your kindness toward our Ukrainians. Thank you all. Thank you, Aleksandar, for the invitation and for your support. We wish your country nothing but peace; we understand that it is the most precious thing people have. Thank you.
Glory to Ukraine!
