President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the second main focus of Ukrainian diplomats' work for the next six months is to provide weapons and equipment to our army and to strengthen sanctions policy against the Russian Federation. The Head of State made this statement in his speech during an emergency meeting with the heads of Ukraine's diplomatic missions to foreign countries held in Zakarpattia region.
“The power of our warriors at the front is largely a consequence of the power of our agreements with our friends and partners. The more successful diplomacy is, all forms of diplomacy - official and unofficial, institutional and media, cultural diplomacy and the power of ordinary human sincerity, that is, the better we are understood in the world - the more our warriors can ultimately do,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
“The world helps those whom it understands, and this has a clear diplomatic dimension - in fact, it is an indicator of the effectiveness of your work,” he added.
The Head of State emphasized that the Ukrainian troops need effective air defense systems, long-range weapons, including ATACMS, equipment and scarce munitions, as well as F-16 aircraft.
“This month the training of our Ukrainian pilots will begin. Now we need to work one hundred percent with the countries that have these aircraft and will be able to transfer them to us after training. This is a powerful and challenging task. The delivery and combat use of F-16s by our pilots should take place as soon as possible,” the President said.
In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted, Ukraine aims to make the domestic defense industry one of the strongest in Europe, which also requires diplomatic support. According to him, in the autumn, Ukraine will host the first defense industry forum, which should be maximally represented by foreign companies.
“The activity of our diplomacy must ensure that the frontline balance changes in favor of Ukraine. And it is possible,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy is convinced.
Speaking of the sanctions policy against Russia, the Head of State emphasized that the fundamental task of Ukrainian diplomats is to persuade partners and foreign companies to shut down all possible ways of supplying critical components to Russia in order to limit the production potential of the terrorist state as much as possible.
“We need to synchronize the speed of sanctions policy among our partners. Those who are lagging behind in sanctions should feel how important it is to be faster. Autumn should also be the time for a new package of EU sanctions against Russia,” he said.
In Zakarpattia, the President held an emergency meeting with the heads of Ukraine's diplomatic missions to foreign countries, during which he named five main foreign policy priorities for the next political season.
