Russia Should Be Thinking More about Its Own Oil Refineries and Oil Transshipment Facilities, Not about the Citizens of Other Countries or the Land of Other Peoples – Address by the President

Dear Ukrainians!

Today, I spoke with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, about the situation surrounding Transnistria. Just recently, Russia took another step regarding Transnistria – the Russians simplified access to citizenship for people originating from this region of Moldova. It is a very telling move. It means not only that Russia is looking for new soldiers in this way – because citizenship also entails military obligation – it is also Russia's way of staking a claim to Transnistria’s territory. Those in Moscow often tell various interlocutors that supposedly only Donbas interests them. In reality, far more than Donbas is at stake. We must respond to this. All the more so as the presence of the Russian military contingent and special services in Transnistria also poses a challenge for us. We are interested in a stable and strong Moldova. I instructed Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate with Moldova accordingly on a joint assessment and joint actions. I also expect proposals from Ukraine’s special services and our intelligence regarding the format of our response. Russia should be thinking more about its own oil refineries and oil transshipment facilities, not about the citizens of other countries or the land of other peoples.

I want to thank all the units involved for this week and for our long-range impact. Ukrainian long-range sanctions were active throughout the entire week. The warriors of the Special Operations Forces, the Unmanned Systems Forces, our Missile Forces, and other branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the warriors of the Security Service of Ukraine, and our intelligence services – the Defense Intelligence and the Foreign Intelligence Service – I thank you all, warriors, for your precision.

We are also working actively on the traditional sanctions track. The key task is to cut off all supply channels into Russia for components used in missile and drone production. In this week’s strike on Kyiv, the Russians used missiles that were produced this year. Without components from companies in Europe, Japan, and the United States, the Russians simply would not have been able to produce these missiles. The same applies to most other weapons these bastards use to strike our cities, to hit ordinary Ukrainian homes. Russia’s ties to the world that serve the war are a direct threat to life. Not only here in Ukraine. If Russia’s war machine is allowed to endure, its next strikes may come against Europe and against other neighbors of Russia, in more distant regions: Russian evil has already shown itself in Syria and in African countries. Right now, the Russians are constrained in many ways here by our defense. But what comes next? Where will the Russians go next? There must be determination to push this country into becoming safer for the world. Sanctions and all other forms of pressure are the best tools to achieve that.

One more thing. Today I spoke with the President of France. We are currently in talks with our partners to strengthen the Ukraine–E3 format – France, the United Kingdom, and Germany – and to give it greater substance. There will be meetings, there will be results. We are preparing important foreign policy steps. I thank everyone who is helping us.

We’re also not stopping in order to ensure the next stages of the exchanges. This week, the first stage of the 1,000-for-1,000 POW exchange took place. We are preparing the next stages. Work on the lists and all necessary approvals is ongoing. I thank everyone involved. We must bring Ukrainians home from captivity. And we must continue strengthening our ties with the world, our state, and our people.

Glory to Ukraine!