Distinguished audience!
Good afternoon. First of all, I would like to thank the esteemed President. António, thank you, thank you very much for being here today, for coming to Zakarpattia to support Ukraine. We know your schedule is very busy. Yesterday we had many different meetings, but you found the time to support Ukraine, and I am very grateful for this visit, especially to this region. For us, it is very important. Today, we have a regional summit, and the fact that you are participating in this summit of our regions, our communities, is very significant for us.
Distinguished audience here in Uzhhorod!
Mr. President of the European Council!
We have just had a very productive conversation. Yesterday, we were in Paris at the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, and we also spoke together with the President of the United States, as well as with other European leaders. It is evident that now there is a chance to move the situation toward greater security and greater shared results – for Ukraine and for Europe as a whole.
First, I thank the European Union and European institutions for actively participating in the development of security guarantees. I want to emphasize: we are building a security system that will begin functioning during the war, remain in place after the war, and be fully deployed. Many details have already been worked out. Thirty-five countries are part of our Coalition of the Willing, and 26 of them are ready to participate in guaranteeing security. These are concrete contributions on land, in the air, at sea, in cyberspace, and also regarding the financing of our forces.
In Ukraine, we also greatly value such European instruments as the SAFE initiative. Thank you very much, António. Nineteen European countries have already joined the initiative. Today, we discussed with President Costa the opportunities this initiative offers. Ukraine must be a full participant, and the SAFE initiative can greatly boost defense capabilities in Ukraine and in other European countries. Our teams are working on this in detail.
Second, it is crucial that everyone now sees Ukraine as part of the European Union. This is truly a major change. Ukraine’s EU membership is a guarantee of security – both economic security and geopolitical security. I am grateful to everyone who sees the situation this way. Ukraine’s membership in the EU is also supported by America, which believes that our security – the security of everyone on the continent – must be a common European cause. And finally, we are hearing signals from Russia that they now acknowledge Ukraine’s EU membership. It is regrettable that they are acknowledging reality with such a delay: since 2013, Russia has been inching toward this simple realization. But now some others – some of Russia’s great friends in Europe – should also hear this: if even Putin does not object, then the position of some countries, such as Hungary, regarding clusters in the negotiations with Ukraine looks truly odd.
Yesterday in the conversation with President Trump, much attention was given to energy security – how to cut Russia’s revenues. President Trump expressed dissatisfaction that Europeans continue to buy Russian oil and gas. And this concerns the policies of some European countries – Slovakia, Hungary, and possibly some other countries as well. Later today, I will raise this issue with the Prime Minister of Slovakia. We very much hope that other neighbors will also hear these signals.
Today we discussed in detail with President Costa the developments in the membership negotiations and also coordinated our steps.
I also want to thank António and everyone in Europe who helps us strengthen our common sanctions policy. Sanctions against Russia, strong tariffs on trade with those who help Russia – all of this is really needed. We also need to prepare decisions on Russian assets – this is an instrument of long-term protection and recovery after Russia’s strikes against our country. It is only fair that Russian assets become part of the price Russia pays for its aggression.
And third. I am grateful for the EU’s support of all our resilience programs. This includes programs in energy, reconstruction, and education for our children. The EU is ready to support one of the most sensitive social programs in Ukraine – the program of free school meals for all Ukrainian children. This is very important during wartime that Ukrainian children, regardless of circumstances or various difficult situations, can all receive free meals. We spoke about this recently, by the way, with Ursula von der Leyen, and we are working to make this happen. Thank you, António. Thank you for your support.
Glory to Ukraine!
