I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!
Here's a summary for the day.
The Staff. A few main issues. Of course, the situation at the front. There was a report from the Commander-in-Chief. Maximum attention was paid to the Pokrovsk direction. And other directions in the Donetsk region. Southern directions. Kharkiv region. The Commander-in-Chief also made a general report today on the protection of the border with Russia and our respective communities in several regions. The risks are clear. We will destroy the occupier under any circumstances.
The construction of fortifications was discussed separately and in great detail at the Staff meeting. There were reports from the government – Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, from the Office – within the purview of the regional direction of Oleksiy Kuleba, and from Oleksandr Yakovets, the Head of the State Special Transport Service. I am grateful to each and every person who is building fortifications on the ground and working as efficiently as necessary. We are keeping to the schedule.
Today we also discussed the protection of our energy sector – the protection of specific facilities from specific threats. Now we need to combine two processes: protecting the energy sector from current attacks and providing our people with electricity, and it is also time to start preparing for the next heating season. The task is obvious: we have to do the maximum to protect lives, and every aspect of this job – from air defense and electronic warfare at the facilities to the necessary construction and supplies – is the personal responsibility of everyone involved. From the government and the Air Force to energy companies and local services. I am grateful to everyone who takes their job with true diligence.
Also, following the conversation at the Staff meeting, I instructed the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Commander-in-Chief, each at their level, to work with partners to speed up the supply of weapons, implementing packages and agreements. Speed is important. The content of the packages is there, I see no problems with it today. I am grateful to the U.S. Congress for the decision, but the speed of delivery and implementation of decisions is something that should not be a problem either. We are waiting for the weapons to arrive in Ukraine for our warriors.
Today we also continue our preparations. We have held meetings on the results we expect from the coming months and the year as a whole.
NATO: prospects for the year and specifically, our fair expectations from the Summit in Washington. The European Union: preparations for the actual opening of accession negotiations, which we expect in June, and further work with the EU. And, of course, the Peace Summit, a global summit. There is already a specific distribution of government officials and other representatives of our country who will work in those geographical areas where we still need to engage leaders. These days, together with Switzerland, we have completed sending out invitations for the Summit. The specific dates of the Summit are June 15th and 16th. This will be the first phase – essentially the first real opportunity to begin the restoration of a just peace. All of us should understand that it is only global power that can force Russia into peace, and that is why we are working to involve as many participants as possible in the Summit in Switzerland and the corresponding communication. We must also be aware that Putin will try to disrupt this work, our efforts, and weaken Ukraine's positions through various manipulations and attacks by his terrorists. All our positions – on the battlefield, in diplomacy and the information sphere – must be equally solid. For us to be able to exert pressure and achieve our goals, the occupiers must lose their ability to put pressure and gain anything for themselves. Hence, our strength, our capabilities, our weapons, our unity with partners must all work as one. And they will.
I thank everyone who stands with Ukraine! I thank everyone who fights and works for our country and people! I thank everyone who restores normal life after the Russian strikes and who brings us closer to holding Russia truly accountable for this war – a war in which we will definitely defend our independence.
Glory to Ukraine!