Today, on the 362nd day of the full-scale war, Kyiv hosted a visit from the President of the United States. We discussed 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, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his address.
“The ninth anniversary of the most horrific days of Maydan, 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 president assured.
He emphasized that 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,” Zelenskyy noted.
The President of Ukraine expressed confidence 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,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
The Head of State said that the work is ongoing on the supply of long-range weapons and other types of weapons that were not previously included in the support packages. H also thanked the US for another package that will definitely strengthen our guys on the frontline.
Also today, the President of Ukraine held talks with the IMF 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,” Zelenskyy noted.
He also praised our heroes on the front line. 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 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 Zaporizhzhya!
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 Luhansk Region but also for giving faith in our movement to liberate our land,” the Head of State summarized.