President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with US Senator, co-chair of the Ukrainian Support Group in the Senate Robert Portman and US Senator, member of the Ukrainian Support Group Amy Klobuchar.
Greeting the guests who are once again visiting our country, the Ukrainian Head of State noted: "This is an important signal of support for Ukraine and its territorial integrity. I would like to express gratitude for the bipartisan and bicameral support in the US Congress. I would like to personally thank President Biden and his administration for their constant work."
Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed the Senators in detail about the situation at the front. In this regard, the President of Ukraine noted the importance of security assistance coming from the United States and the need for its continuation and increase. The President also emphasized that Ukraine provides reliable control over weapons and military equipment received from foreign partners.
Noting the leadership positions of the US in the comprehensive support of Ukraine during the counteraction to the Russian armed aggression, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of intensifying financial assistance to our state. The President expressed his belief that the United States of America will continue to support Ukraine as a leader among all states that provide assistance to our country.
Separately, the President emphasized the need to strengthen the sanctions policy against Russia.
"These are big joint efforts. They yield results. Although they have not yet fully worked. There is a lot of work ahead. I expect that the sanctions pressure will increase. One of the elements of such pressure should be the introduction of visa restrictions for the citizens of the Russian Federation. So that the Russians feel the consequences of their own support for aggression against Ukraine," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
During the meeting, particular attention was paid to the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The President of Ukraine emphasized that Russia's actions are a manifestation of nuclear terrorism and pose a global threat. First of all, it concerns the European continent.
"The Zaporizhzhia NPP must be demilitarized and returned under the control of Ukraine," the Head of State noted, adding that in this regard, high hopes are placed on the IAEA mission.
During the meeting, the work carried out by our state was separately discussed, in particular in the format of the Group on International Security Guarantees for Ukraine, which is co-chaired by Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak and former Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
"Developing effective security guarantees is crucially important for our state today," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
The interlocutors also noted the importance of the recent visit to Washington by First Lady Olena Zelenska, which contributed to raising the awareness of American society and politicians about the consequences of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, as well as increasing support for our state.
The President separately emphasized the importance and effectiveness of ongoing cooperation between Ukraine and the United States at the level of Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov and United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak and US National Security Advisor to the President Jacob Sullivan.
At the end of the meeting, Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented the Order of Merit of the 1st degree to the Senators, with which they were awarded by the Decree of the Head of State of August 23, 2022 for significant personal merits in strengthening interstate cooperation, support of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, significant contribution to the popularization of the Ukrainian state in the world.