President's Speech at the Opening of the 20th Annual Yalta European Strategy Meeting
Thank you for the invitation! I’m glad to welcome you all to Ukraine today – and for many of you not for the first time. And it is extremely important in a time of war like this – to be in Ukraine, to be with our defenders, defenders of Ukraine, with all our people – people who are going through the hardest thing that could ever happen – a full-scale war. I’m grateful to all of you for being with Ukraine.
But it is also important for all of us to have the same understanding of what it means to be with Ukraine. It’s not just about presence. It is not just about an emotional connection to our state, to Ukrainians, to our battle for independence.
Yesterday, the Russian army carried out one of its many attacks on Ukraine. It was an artillery strike. It hit the village of Viroliubivka in the Donetsk region.
The Russians saw where they were hitting. The trucks of the International Committee of the Red Cross were burned. Two people were wounded in this strike. Unfortunately, three people were killed. My condolences. They were employees of the humanitarian mission – their lives were taken by Russian artillery. And it is disappointing, deeply disappointing, to see that the Red Cross, in its official communication, was afraid to even say that this was a Russian strike. This is our reality. But this is their face… And it's not just the truth – it was a Russian strike, Russian terror. Yesterday, the Russian army conducted an equally blatant strike. A Russian missile hit a civilian vessel in the Black Sea, I think it took place near Romanian waters already. It was a bulk carrier transporting wheat. The port of destination was in Egypt. And it was just luck that none of the crew was killed by that missile. And there was no reaction from Egypt, no reaction at all, even though it is their food security. But this is how Russia treats Egypt, food security, and free navigation – it treats it like a typical terrorist. As long as there are double standards in the realm of morality, Putin may continue to seek something other than peace.
We are now in the third year of this full-scale war. And after so much killing and destruction in Ukraine, after so many Russian war crimes, after so many terrorist strikes, Putin can still afford to destroy life in Ukraine as he pleases, can buy and produce missiles, bombs and artillery, can even afford to issue ultimatums to the world. And he expects the world to give in to his madness.
It is the third year of the war, and Putin still believes that it is he to whom concessions must be made. Why is that?
These days, there have been very important meetings with our partners, and there have been important guests in Ukraine. In particular, representatives of the US and the UK.
Of course, we cannot fully disclose the content of closed negotiations between our partners and us. But I would like to share my feelings.
Now in Ukraine, as in many other countries, the school year has started. Children are going to school. In Ukraine, we really want as many children as possible to learn not online, but together with other children, in a normal school atmosphere, where they acquire not only knowledge but also social skills, communication skills and life skills. For this, we need air defense systems, primarily Patriots, which are available in sufficient quantities globally and which we have long been expecting from our partners.
And when you say at important closed meetings with partners that we need air defense, it is difficult, really difficult to hear the same answer every time – “we are working on it.” Russian missiles and Iranian-supplied “Shaheds,” unfortunately, are also "working", but they are working in our skies and against our people. And Putin doesn’t need any permissions or approvals for long-range strikes.
You have all heard, many have seen, and some have even experienced firsthand how difficult it is now on the frontline everywhere, especially in the Donetsk region. Near Pokrovsk, first of all. Our heroic warriors are there – I would like us to support them, applaud them, thank them for their feat – they are really strong people, very strong. We all understand that they need reinforcement. This means equipped and ready-to-fight units, enough not only to hold their positions but to reclaim them.
We have been talking with our partners for months about this – about equipping our brigades. I’m grateful to all the leaders and states that have made responsible commitments and are actually fulfilling them on time. But frankly, we are still far from fully implementing what we have agreed on a long time ago.
And when you remind of this during negotiations, it is very difficult to hear – “we are working on it” – again. While this is being said, Putin is burning down our cities and villages – that’s what he’s working on. And he doesn’t need any approvals. Putin interprets delays in helping us and in making strong decisions for Ukraine as permission to do everything he is doing, to do whatever he wants.
And regarding the long-range capability for Ukraine.
Anyone who simply sees on a map where Russia strikes from on a daily basis, where Russia trains its forces and keeps reserves, where it locates military facilities and what logistics it uses – anyone who sees all this, clearly understands why Ukraine needs long-range capability.
By the way, we discussed this in detail with Antony Blinken and David Lammy, the US Secretary of State and the British Foreign Secretary, who were recently in Kyiv. I hope that after our conversation, there simply cannot be any unanswered questions about why Ukraine needs sufficient long-range capability.
I want to highlight once again: sufficient. Sufficient not to simply say that there is a decision, but to really change the course of the war and make Russia seek peace. And we are really counting on our partners, hoping for results from our partners. At least, we are working on it.
Dear ladies and gentlemen!
When we think about how to end the war, we must realize absolutely clearly that it is we who need it – not Putin. He does not want to end anything. He feels comfortable sending people to their deaths, controlling his people through television, and enjoying life in his bubble. Unfortunately, Putin and his inner circle have not been tangibly affected by the war so far. Yet. Yet. But Putin and his cronies must feel all the problems that war brings. And this means that the war must become significantly more difficult for Russia. Only then can Russia be forced to understand that the war will have to end. And it must end fairly – on the basis of international law. This requires strong decisions from the world. And each of you knows what they are.
When we hear that new missiles have arrived in Russia from Iran, it is the same evil that the allies have already had to shoot down in the skies of the Middle East. Now, the markings of the missiles may be different, but not Iran’s terrorist motive behind the proliferation and use of these weapons. If the allies are jointly shooting down missiles and drones in the skies over the Middle East, why is there still no similar decision to jointly shoot down Russian missiles and Iranian “Shaheds” over Ukraine? And this isn’t being done even when missiles and drones are heading towards the territory of our neighbors.
And when we raise this issue with our partners, which we do constantly, to be honest, everyone tries to talk around it… They're even afraid to say, "we are working on it." They're afraid even of those words. That’s the truth.
So far, only Belarus was noticed for shooting down Russian “Shaheds.” I couldn’t imagine it would be that way... I think this is truly humiliating for the strong democratic world.
We and our partners know exactly all the spots where Russia is gathering forces for strikes. All of them. We know where Russian air defense is located. If any of our partners don't know, we can share this information. Everyone knows where Russian missile launchers are being deployed, and what logistics routes are critical for the Russian occupation forces. All of this can be destroyed in a matter of months. Let me remind you that the war has been going on for 10 years, and the full-scale one for almost three. So, what is lacking to bring it to an end? Strength? Decisions? Or the will to do so?
Why can Putin keep his own weapons production at a maximum? He gets critical components. In the Russian missiles that hit our cities and villages on a daily basis, we see components from all over the world – America, Europe, Taiwan etc. Chains of such supplies to Russia still exist. And it turns out that it is cheaper for Putin to continue his terror than for us to defend ourselves against it. The logistics of weapons in Russia and the sites for Russian strikes are, unfortunately, still beyond the reach of our defenders, our defensive strikes. We have effective drones. But drones cannot do what missiles are supposed to. And even artillery – Putin can get more than enough and relatively cheap from North Korea. Meanwhile, for Ukraine, every defense package is an achievement.
Why am I talking so much about the details on weapons right now? In fact, these are details about forcing Russia into peace. Putin does not understand anything else. Only the things that strengthen Ukraine’s position. Only what makes the situation worse for Russia. Only the fact that the partners are actually taking the necessary steps, and not promising to consider what steps are needed from meeting to meeting, as if it is still not clear for someone.
Of course, we are at war, and in such conditions it is impossible to plan a completely unchanged schedule. But this month, I have a meeting with President Biden planned. I will present him with the Victory Plan. A system of interconnected decisions that will give Ukraine sufficient strength – enough strength to put this war on a course to peace.
Wars of aggression such as Russia’s war against Ukraine can end fairly in several ways – either the occupying army is pushed out or diplomacy ensures that the country’s real independence is preserved and it is freed from occupation. In both cases, Ukraine needs a strong position. The United States can help with this. If we, along with our key partner, equally strive for victory. The Victory Package that I’ll present to the President of the United States can pave the way for a lasting peace – for the full implementation of the Peace Formula. Unfortunately, there are still illusions in the world that it’s possible to talk to Moscow or draw some new red lines that will eventually make Moscow softer and inclined toward reconciliation. But without illusions, if we all want to one day hear the words – “peace has finally come, a just peace in Ukraine” – then we must hear now – “Ukraine has become powerful enough – powerful enough to win.” That will be the true guarantee of peace.
And it depends not only on us. In many ways, it depends on the world – on you, dear friends.
I thank all Ukrainians for their courage! I am grateful to each of our partners who are really doing everything to make Ukraine strong and to ensure that our country wins.
And I want to be able to thank the leaders of the world for the key thing – for the kind of help that will make Ukraine’s victory inevitable. Only in this way will the desire to seek real peace reach Putin’s bubble.
