President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a video conference with President of the European Council Charles Michel who visited Odesa. The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
The President congratulated the President of the European Council on the anniversary of the victory in World War II and thanked him for the visit to Ukraine.
"I am very pleased that today, at the highest level, the European Union supports Ukraine, at a time when manifestations of Nazism, unfortunately, exist and are being revived. But they should not be spread, and we are doing everything for this together," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
He stressed the importance of preventing a food crisis in the world, which could be caused by Russia's aggressive actions. After all, Russian warships in the Black Sea are blocking the passage of merchant ships to Ukrainian ports.
According to the President, our country supplies grain to almost 400 million people on the planet. Blocking the export of Ukrainian agricultural products is already leading to rising food prices in the world. As a result, it could lead to growing famine and political instability in a number of regions of the world.
For his part, the President of the European Council who visited the Odesa seaport where the blocked ship with Ukrainian grain is located stressed that wheat should be available to all people in the world so that famine does not spread across the planet.
The interlocutors stressed the importance of taking immediate measures for Russia to unblock Ukrainian ports for grain exports.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted that in the difficult moment of the Russian invasion, Ukrainians are very grateful for the bold position of Charles Michel and his personal presence in Odesa.
"The European Union supports Ukraine not in words but in deeds. Today, financial support is also very important for us," the President said, noting that he counts on the assistance of the President of the European Council in the dialogue with African and Asian countries to support Ukraine.
The President of Ukraine also thanked for the sanctions policy of the European Union. He stressed that Ukraine is waiting for the adoption of the next packages of sanctions against the aggressor country.
"I am confident that the EU and the world will not stop at six sanctions packages. But what matters is not the number of these packages, but their effectiveness. I am convinced that the main result is peace on our land and therefore in Europe," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President also thanked Charles Michel for supporting Ukraine on its path to European integration.
"I want to thank you for your political support, for being here. For the fact that you see Ukraine in the near future equal among other members of the European family," he said.
For his part, the President of the European Council assured that the European Union will continue to provide maximum financial and defense assistance to Ukraine. The EU has already approved a plan to support our state.
“There must be a "Marshall Plan" for your initiatives. We must mobilize global support so that you can cope with humanitarian challenges and start rebuilding Ukraine's economy," said Charles Michel.
He also said that in June the European Council will consider Ukraine's application for EU candidate status.
Charles Michel noted that the Ukrainian people today are fighting not only for their homeland, but also for the common European values of democracy and freedom. And the European Union supports Ukraine and is impressed by the resilience and courage of our people.