Russia Harbors No Friendly Intentions – And That Is Putting It Mildly – Address by the President

I wish you good health, fellow Ukrainians!

Briefly about today. In Zaporizhzhia, assistance continues to be provided to people affected last night by Russian strikes. As of this time, 20 people have sought medical care. Among them are four children. Tragically, one person has been killed by this Russian strike. My condolences. In Kharkiv, there was a brutal strike on the city center: on the buildings of the National University of Pharmacy. A deliberate strike – specifically aimed at this educational institution. There are casualties in Kherson due to shelling. A significant number of Russian drone strikes have hit the Zaporizhzhia region, as well as the Donetsk, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Sumy regions. Every single day, Russian terror continues, and every single day, the Russians reject the possibility of ending this war – of ceasing fire and truly talking about peace. We in Ukraine have responded positively to all proposals from the United States and President Trump to end all these attacks and killings. Ukraine has also proactively put forward various formats to bring the war to an end. It is Putin alone who is interested in these killings. Every day, this war remains solely his war – the war of Russia alone. And we expect the world to draw conclusions from this. Especially after the drone incursion into Poland – a country that is extremely important for the security of all of Europe. A country that so highly respects America and President Trump. And it is crucial that Europe truly understands: when it comes to Russia, it is not about one neighbor or another – it is about everyone. Otherwise, Russia will draw its own conclusions and will only expand the war, and not necessarily against Ukraine alone.

Today, the Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine reported. Primarily about the situation in Russia’s fuel sector after our long-range sanctions. I thank the Ukrainian drone operators for their precision; I also thank our producers of both our drones and our missiles. It feels like the Ukrainian industry is stepping up its pace. There was also a report on the intentions of the Russian leadership, including with regard to other countries. Russia harbors no friendly intentions – and that is putting it mildly. The system there is being restructured to enable war at any moment and against any opponent. This can only be countered by sanctions, strong global sanctions, and by our long-range capabilities.

And one more thing.

There was a report from the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yuliia Svyrydenko. On our resilience, our development. It is important that job creation in Ukraine is on the rise. I thank every business, every active regional and community leader. We also discussed new support programs, support for employment in Ukraine, and attracting specialists. There was a report on the budget parameters for next year. I instructed that all social obligations of our state be fully met and that support for people be increased. Next year, we will raise teachers’ salaries; we will raise scholarships for Ukrainian students. The resources for this are in place. Overall, education spending for the year will increase by 66 billion hryvnias. The healthcare budget will also be increased. And we will launch an extremely important program of health checkups – medical examinations so that people can know what they need and receive it as early as possible, and moreover, fully covered by the state. Government officials will present all the details.

I want to thank all those who stand with us, who stand with Ukraine! I thank everyone who fights for our state, everyone who works for Ukraine and for Ukrainians.

Glory to Ukraine!