Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!
Today was a symbolic day. The 362nd day of a full-scale war, and we, in our free capital of our free country, are hosting a visit from our powerful ally, the President of the United States of America, and talking to him about the future of Ukraine, our relations, the whole of Europe and global democracy. This is an indicator of how resilient Ukraine is. And how important Ukraine is to the world.
The ninth anniversary of the most horrific days of Maidan, the anniversary of the beginning of Russian aggression against our country, when there was very little time left before the occupation of our Crimea. And now, nine years later, we are more confident than ever that justice will be served.
The aggressor state, which has consistently been moving towards becoming a terrorist state, will be held accountable for its crimes. It will be held accountable thanks to the efforts of Ukraine and all our partners, the entire free world, and all those who are now helping us to defend our independence, freedom, and international law and order. We will prevail in this historic confrontation.
When President Biden - then Vice President - addressed the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in December 2015, he emphasized a very important point: it is no exaggeration to say that the hopes of all freedom-loving people around the world are with us, with Ukrainians, because so much depends on the success of our fragile experiment with democracy. For our country, for the whole of Europe - free and peaceful. For the whole world, where democracy is under threat.
We are now absolutely certain that there is nothing that can undermine our democracy. No element of Ukrainian life is fragile anymore and will never be fragile. And our resilience is a powerful contribution to the resilience of all freedom-loving nations in the world.
It is now and in Ukraine that the fate of the world order, which is based on rules, on humanity, on predictability, is being decided. And today, President Biden and I talked, in particular, about how to do everything to ensure our common victory this year in the war that Russia unleashed.
Unleashed nine years ago. The full-scale war has been ongoing since last February. We have to do everything to put an end to Russian aggression this year, to liberate our still occupied territories and to guarantee reliable security for our country and for all the peoples of Europe who want to live in freedom and peace.
The specific steps for this are known. Our defense needs for this are known. The active actions required for this - the actions of our warriors at the front first of all - are also well known to our partners. All we need is determination.
Today I saw such determination of President Biden and the United States of America. And I want to thank Mr. President for this visit and for the talks - really useful talks - that actually continued our conversation that we started in Washington during my visit in December.
We are working on the supply of long-range weapons and other types of weapons that were not previously included in the support packages. And I am grateful for another package that will definitely strengthen our guys on the frontline.
I am also thankful, on behalf of all Ukrainians, to all Americans - ordinary people and community leaders, members of Congress from both parties, and all members of President Biden's team - for bringing our relationship - between Ukraine and America - to a historically most meaningful level. We can be called true allies, and our alliance with America truly strengthens the world.
This week we will continue our diplomatic work with representatives of the United States. There will also be significant developments in relations with our other partners both in Europe and around the world.
A year of full-scale war, a year of our invincibility, which was a response to the Kremlin's illusion of "three days for Kyiv"... A year! And we are organizing a truly Ukrainian global week.
Today I held talks with the IMF Managing Director who arrived in Kyiv.
I was very pleased to hear a positive assessment of the resilience of our institutions, the efficiency and effectiveness of our country in the face of such brutal and total aggression. There are situations when states fail even in much easier conditions. The Ukrainian state has passed terrible challenges and retained its full functionality. This is another achievement of our people - all those who work for the state. An achievement that is worth commending right now - on these days, on the eve of the anniversary of the invasion. Ukrainians are capable of very significant things, and every day we see new evidence of this.
Today I would like to praise our heroes on the frontline traditionally. Those who demonstrate extraordinary courage, incredible resilience and the efficiency Ukraine needs in destroying the enemy every day.
Paratroopers of the 79th separate air assault brigade. Infantrymen of the 72nd and the 110th separate mechanized brigades. Units and maintenance forces of these brigades. Gunners of the 55th separate artillery brigade. Thank you, guys, for your bravery and precision in the Donetsk region!
Also, the 128th separate mountain assault brigade and the 1st artillery division of the 44th separate artillery brigade. Thank you guys for the worthy response to the enemy's attacks against our Zaporizhzhia!
The 66th and the 92nd separate mechanized brigades, the 81st separate airmobile brigade, and the 95th separate air assault brigade. Thank you, guys, for not only inflicting significant losses on the enemy in the Luhansk region, but also for giving faith in our movement to liberate our land.
Glory to all who fight for Ukraine!
Thank you to everyone who helps!
May the memory of everyone who gave life for the freedom of Ukraine live forever!
Glory to Ukraine!