June and July Must Deliver Results For Ukraine and for All of Europe – Address by the President

I wish you good health, fellow Ukrainians!

We are preparing right now for next week's diplomatic events – things are expected to be very active starting Monday. The European Union has confirmed its readiness to open the first cluster, and this gives new momentum to our negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union. We have done absolutely everything to achieve this progress, and I am grateful to everyone who helped and to everyone working for our state. Ukraine is ready to open six clusters, and we expect to achieve more results this summer for our integration into the European Union. At least from our side, there will be no delays. And it is very important that our partners also feel the full significance of this process.

We hear from many leaders that not only does Ukraine need Europe, but Europe also needs Ukraine. And that is true. Given Russia’s long-term intentions, the fact that Russia is now building bases on Europe’s doorstep, even in places where no military bases existed in Soviet times, clearly shows that without Ukraine, without our capabilities and our experience, Europe could face enormous difficulties. All of this must be taken into account. The security challenges posed by Russia are not for one year or five years. Russia has chosen a long-term anti-European, anti-democratic strategy and is building its political course around it. Nothing else is coming from Moscow. Only attempts to buy off certain politicians with various benefits. Not for the sake of peace, but so that those politicians simply sell out the interests of their nations and Europe’s shared interests to Russia. They will ultimately lose – just as Orbán did. Yet many still try to befriend Putin’s wallets and close their eyes to what is really happening.

I want to thank everyone who, nevertheless, continues to fight for their peoples, for Europe’s interests, and for security in Europe – security with Ukraine. Now, I would like to personally thank the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, António Costa, for our joint work, and all European leaders – every single one who makes strong and fair decisions. I also congratulate Moldova on this progress. Ukraine and Moldova are making this journey together toward full membership in the European Union. Among all the European nations that have already joined the European Union or see such a prospect for themselves, Ukraine is the one making the greatest sacrifices for Europe. We are not simply carrying out internal reforms, nor are we simply going through a transformation. We are fighting for our state, for our independence, and for our right to choose our own path and to be Europe. And this right of ours is at the same time the right of every nation in our region. We are fighting for our freedom and theirs, for Europe for ourselves and for them – for the Baltic states and for Poland, for Hungary and Slovakia, for Romania and Moldova, and for the peoples of the Caucasus.

That is why the fate of Europe is being decided here – it is being decided in Ukraine, in this war, and in how this war ends, and whether Russia will still have the strength and the desire after this war to threaten the existence of Ukraine and its other neighbors, and the entirety of Europe. That is why we must end this war with dignity and with guaranteed security. And this is what we will discuss with our partners during the G7 Summit in France, and later at the European Council Summit and at the NATO Summit in Ankara. The negotiations and meetings in Europe in the coming weeks must not be meaningless. We are giving them substance, and we expect substance from our partners. Political progress in our engagement, including in the Drone Deals format, new sanctions against Russia, and new support for Ukraine, above all support for air defense and our long-range capabilities.

We continue to prove that Ukraine’s long-range capabilities make a decisive difference – now in mid-strikes across the entire depth of the temporarily occupied territory, and in deep strikes against Russian oil facilities and military enterprises. Today, there were successful hits by the Security Service of Ukraine in our temporarily occupied Crimea, and by our military on Russian territory – in the Volgograd and Krasnodar regions – specifically against oil facilities. June and July must deliver results for Ukraine and for all of Europe. I thank everyone who stands with us, with Ukraine. I thank our warriors for their precision and their strength in holding their positions.

Glory to Ukraine!