Working visit of the President of Ukraine to Romania and Belgium
In Bucharest, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of Romania Klaus Iohannis.
The Head of State emphasized that he was visiting Bucharest for the first time since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. He expressed gratitude to Klaus Iohannis, his entire team and the people of Romania for the vital and sincere assistance to our country and Ukrainians in this difficult time.
"Romania has provided Ukraine with defense, political, and very important humanitarian and economic support. We are grateful for every manifestation of your solidarity and will always remember that at a decisive moment, Romania did not hesitate to choose Ukraine," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized during a meeting with media representatives following the talks with Klaus Iohannis in Bucharest.
He noted the extremely important decision to train Ukrainian F-16 pilots in Romania at the newly established Pilot Training Center.
"We discussed with Mr. President how to accelerate such training and agreed that Ukrainian pilots would be included in the first wave of training," the Head of State said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also informed his counterpart about the situation on the battlefield and the defense needs of the Ukrainian army. As a result of today's talks, there will be good news regarding artillery and air defense, the Head of State noted.
The President emphasized that Russia is firing missiles and "shaheds" at Ukraine's port infrastructure, so strengthening air defense is a key factor in protecting global food security, as it will prevent any part of the Black Sea and the Danube region from becoming a "dead zone" for shipping.
"We are working with various partners to bolster our air defense both in the country as a whole and in Odesa region. We discussed with Mr. President our possible joint actions to protect not just ports, but the entire region. Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, and our people," he emphasized.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted one of the strategic areas of cooperation in the Ukraine-Romania-Moldova triangle.
"The "grain corridor" from Ukraine through Moldova to Romania will start working soon, and this is an example of how much we can do together, which will be of great importance not only for us, but also for Europe and the world as a whole," the President noted.
The Head of State noted that cooperation between Ukraine, Romania and Moldova provides a significant incentive for the development of business, infrastructure and jobs for our nations. He also expressed confidence that Ukraine and Moldova will become members of the European Union.
"It is therefore important that Romania supports our countries on the path of European integration," he said.
Klaus Iohannis, for his part, assured that Romania and Romanian society are determined to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in a multilateral and meaningful way, including through defense assistance, for as long as it takes – until the Russian aggressor is defeated, all Ukrainian territory is liberated, all those responsible for crimes are brought to justice, and then – in the process of restoring and rebuilding Ukraine.
President met with the Presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies of the Romanian Parliament
In Bucharest, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of the Senate Nicolae Ciucă and Acting President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Romanian Parliament Alfred Simonis.
The Head of State expressed gratitude to the leaders of both chambers of the Romanian Parliament for their clear position in support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
"I am grateful to your country, your society for the strong support of all Ukrainians, for sheltering our people from the first day of full-scale Russian aggression. We have seen true strong friends. I also thank the Romanian Parliament for important resolutions in our support," the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the adoption of a declaration by Romanian senators and parliamentarians on the anniversary of the beginning of Russia's large-scale invasion, as well as consistent support for Ukraine's initiatives in international parliamentary formats.
The Head of State underscored the importance of the parliamentary dimension for the de-occupation of Ukrainian territories. The parties also emphasized the importance of participation of the partner countries in the second parliamentary summit of the Crimea Platform.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the adoption by the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies of the Romanian Parliament of the declaration on the recognition of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as a crime against humanity and appealed to the speakers of both chambers to take the next step - the adoption by the Romanian Parliament of a decision to recognize this terrible crime as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people.
In Bucharest, the President also laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Head of State honored the memory of the fallen soldiers with a moment of silence and made an entry in the Book of Honorary Guests.
President meets with Prime Minister of Romania in Bucharest
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Prime Minister of Romania Marcel Ciolacu in Bucharest.
The Head of State expressed gratitude to the Romanian government for the significant practical assistance to our country since the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion.
The President praised the constructive and efficient interaction at the level of executive authorities of the two countries, particularly the preparation of the first in the history of bilateral relations joint meeting of the governments of Ukraine and Romania in Kyiv.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Marcel Ciolacu discussed defense support for Ukraine and strengthening bilateral cooperation at the defense industry level.
The parties emphasized the critical contribution of Ukraine and Romania to global food security, in particular, ensuring the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products to third country markets. They emphasized the importance of implementing the agreements on doubling the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products through the territory of Romania.
The President and the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of ensuring the rights of the representatives of the Ukrainian national minority in Romania and the representatives of the Romanian national minority in Ukraine, in particular by developing a bilateral legal framework in line with international obligations and standards.
Presidents of Ukraine and Romania sign a Joint Declaration
Following a meeting in Bucharest, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of Romania Klaus Iohannis signed a Joint Declaration.
The signing followed bilateral talks between delegations chaired by the leaders of Ukraine and Romania.
"We have just signed a bilateral declaration that sets out the key points of our cooperation - security, in particular in the Black Sea region, support for our Peace Formula, and the expansion of our economic and logistics cooperation," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with media representatives following talks with Klaus Iohannis in Bucharest.
As noted by the President of Ukraine, the document also reflects the issues of transport connectivity, simplification of border crossing procedures, opening of new Ukrainian-Romanian border crossing points and approaches of the parties in cooperation with national communities.
Separately, in the Joint Declaration, the presidents stated their shared vision of relations between Ukraine and Romania as a strategic partnership based on the principles of good neighborliness, common democratic values, and respect for international law.
"We have decided to build a strategic partnership between Ukraine and Romania and have asked our teams to begin working on this, without delay," the document says.
For his part, the Romanian President noted that the leaders of the two countries had begun a concrete process of bringing relations between Ukraine and Romania to the level of strategic partnership, and the signed document outlines the fundamental framework for further cooperation between the two countries.
"Today we are focused on helping Ukraine win the war. But as neighbors and partners, we have a duty and obligation to look at our relations in the long term," Klaus Iohannis emphasized.
In the Joint Declaration, the presidents strongly condemned the ongoing war of aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and agreed on the need to continue to assist Ukraine for as long as it is necessary. In addition, the parties expressed full support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula, noted Romania's interest in engaging in the implementation of a number of points of the Formula, and called on all states to back the implementation of this initiative.
In the document, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Klaus Iohannis noted their readiness to deepen cooperation to enhance security in the Black Sea region, supported efforts to double the volume of transit through Romania to 4 million tons per month, and agreed to maintain coordination on the transit of Ukrainian grain through Romania.
The presidents agreed on the priority of training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s at a training center in Romania.
The parties also emphasized the need to bring to justice all those responsible for the crime of aggression in Ukraine and stated that sanctions against the Russian Federation should be preserved and intensified. They also emphasized the importance of joint efforts to counter Russian disinformation and propaganda.
In addition, the presidents emphasized the importance of Romania's participation in the implementation of projects to rebuild Ukraine. Romania's firm support for Ukraine's progress toward EU membership was declared, including the need to make a political decision by the end of 2023 to open negotiations on EU accession for Ukraine and Moldova.
In addition, the heads of state expressed support for Ukraine's integration into NATO and praised Romania's readiness to start negotiations on a bilateral security agreement in the framework of the G7 Joint Declaration.
President of Ukraine meets with U.S. Secretary of Defense in Brussels
During a working visit to Belgium, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and the new U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown.
The Head of State expressed gratitude to Lloyd Austin for the steadfastness of the United States' defense and political support for Ukraine.
The U.S. Secretary of Defense informed the President about the progress in providing our country with additional air defense systems.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of strengthening Ukraine's air defense ahead of the winter season.
"Winter is a big challenge. We really need the help of our partners to protect critical infrastructure. Air defense is not just a military issue. Normal life depends on it, how the economy will work, how taxes will be paid to meet the needs of the army, our defense against Russian aggression. It also determines how many people will return to Ukraine from abroad," the Head of State noted.
The President thanked the United States for the new military assistance package and informed about the current needs of the Ukrainian army. In particular, he emphasized the importance of supplying frontline air defense, electronic warfare systems, and artillery shells.
For his part, Lloyd Austin assured of continued steady and uninterrupted supply of all necessary weapons to Ukraine. He emphasized that the United States has the necessary resources and capabilities and remains focused on supporting Ukraine.
President of Ukraine meets with NATO Secretary General
In Brussels, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
The Head of State emphasized the important leadership role of the Secretary General in coordinating the work of the Allies and making decisions in support of Ukraine.
The President thanked Jens Stoltenberg for participating in the first international Defense Industries Forum in Ukraine.
"I am grateful for your strong signal during the forum that Ukraine needs high quality means, in large numbers and quickly, to stop drones and intercept missiles," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The Head of State also emphasized the importance of Ukraine's cooperation with the world's leading arms manufacturers to implement NATO standards in the defense industry and enhance interoperability with the Alliance.
The President of Ukraine expressed hope that in the course of today's meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council at the level of defense ministers and the meeting of NATO defense ministers tomorrow, member states would take further positive decisions on the supply of weapons and military equipment to our country, as well as on the provision of other necessary assistance.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted the readiness of the Ukrainian side to actively work with the Allies to agree on a new adapted Annual National Program aimed at implementing NATO principles and standards in Ukraine. In this context, he also emphasized the importance of preparing jointly with the Alliance a Roadmap for Ukraine's interoperability with NATO.
In Brussels, Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on world leaders to support the people of Israel
Before his meetings in Brussels, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on world leaders to visit Israel and support people affected by terrorist attacks.
Before the meetings at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Alliance, the Head of State and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke to the media. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that during the meetings, he would raise the issue of strengthening Ukraine's air defense, providing long-range weapons and artillery. Attention will also be paid to the situation in Israel.
"I will have the opportunity to address all defense ministers on the Ramstein platform. About 50 representatives of defense ministries and their teams. We will talk about priorities, about how to push Russia out of our native land. There are priorities - air defense systems. There are very specific things that we need in very specific places on our land. To save people, to secure energy infrastructure, grain transit routes to Africa and Asia," the President said.
The second issue, according to the Head of State, will be the need to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons to push Russia out of Ukrainian territory.
"And the third point is defense. Just defending your country every day is not about a counteroffensive. A counteroffensive is one direction, but we also have to defend ourselves. Because we are facing Russia and its large army. This is primarily about artillery. Three very specific issues," he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that there would be signals from Ukraine on the situation in Israel.
"I remember the first days of the full-scale war. It started with terrorist attacks from Belarus, then the Russian army came. It was the biggest tragedy for us. So many dead people, so many deaths. And it was very important not to be left alone. It can help save your nation, people, save lives. So my recommendation to the leaders is to go to Israel and support the people. I'm not talking about any institutions now. Just support people who suffered from terrorist attacks and are dying," the Head of State emphasized.
We need to get the instrument of terror out of Russia's hands – speech by the President at the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the Ramstein format
We need to get the instrument of terror out of Russia
Mr. Minister Austin!
Thank you for your support and leadership. It indeed feels like a true warrior is leading the Ramstein team.
Dear ministers, dear generals!
I am grateful to each of you for your tireless work and for the strong joint decisions you have made for us, for all our people. Thank you so much.
General Brown!
This is the first time you are participating in a Ramstein meeting. And I think it is very symbolic, given your military background as a combat pilot – an F-16 pilot. I am sure that together we will do many good things to defend freedom.
Jens, Mr. Secretary General!
I thank you for your faith in Ukraine – for your confidence that Ukraine will be among the allies in NATO.
Ladies and gentlemen!
Next Monday will mark the six hundredth day of our resistance to Russia's full-scale aggression against our people, against Ukraine. And today, no one can say for sure how many more days we will have to defend our independence and identity. But we can already say several things, which are important.
First: Putin will not achieve Ukraine. Second: Russia cannot afford a new arms race. And third: democracy can win this battle. It is necessary not only for our country, but for every nation, for the whole world. Our time is not the time for the slavery of nations.
You all know that Moscow's ambitions have never been limited to Ukraine. And we all want these ambitions to be defeated in Ukraine – as soon as possible, this is the best opportunity – so that we don't have to look for shells and supply tanks to other countries in Europe, Asia or Africa that the Russian dictator may try to turn into ruins or seize into his crazy empire or zone of influence.
I know that NATO is ready and capable of protecting its members from external aggression. May we never have to experience this in reality. I know what steps can protect Europe and the world from the spread of Russian aggression. And I know what is needed to speed up the just end of this war – let me emphasize: a just end. Full protection of our sovereignty, full restoration of our territorial integrity, full guarantee of Ukraine’s security after the aggression.
We are now in a special situation on the front line. In a situation where it is important to put pressure. Without any pauses. It is very important – without any pauses. You all understand the principles of effective defense. It is the defense that does not leave the enemy a chance to rest, recover, or choose any other tactics. Russia has lost the initiative for today. We are putting pressure on it. We are! It is Ukrainian courage and your support that determine what is happening on the battlefield and, most importantly, what will happen on the battlefield. And although the occupiers are still trying to storm our positions, although our defense and counteroffensive actions are very difficult – it is still Ukraine, it is our soldiers who determine the course of events.
Russia cannot handle this war on its own. You can see it. It needs Iran – Russia cannot succeed without the Shaheds and other help. It needs North Korea. Just imagine – for the first time in its history, Moscow has gone to Pyongyang to bow down. The Russian Black Sea Fleet is escaping our naval drones and missiles. Traditional buyers of Russian weapons see how superior the weapons made by the free world and used by Ukrainians are. Russia is slowly but surely withdrawing from various points of geopolitical fractures in the world because it lacks its own strength. But at the same time, it still has enough resources to incite conflicts and turn them into full-scale tragedies. This is happening in the Sahel, and it can happen even more painfully in Israel and in the Middle East as a whole. We must not allow this to happen. We can prevent it! We have to put even more pressure so that the aggressor weakens faster and does not have time to adapt to our pressure. We need to make sure that Russia is heading for defeat and does not even attempt to claim anything else.
One of the most vital battles here is the one against the Kremlin’s key tool, its greatest perverted pride – the pride of the terrorist. Last winter, Russia wanted to turn it into a weapon against us by destroying our power plants and supply network. I am grateful to all of you, every country, every leader who helped us with air defense and energy equipment. It really was a life-saver for all of us, our people, our children. Obviously, this winter Russia will try to repeat those tactics, but with certain conclusions and greater terrorist efforts. Please note that even during the attack on Israel, terrorists targeted one of the largest power plants in the region. Until last winter, when Russia relied on these tactics, other terrorists had not done so in such attacks.
Of course, our task now is to get through this difficult time, through this winter. But, in fact, the real power of this task, if fulfilled, is much greater than just getting through this winter. Air defense is a significant part of the answer to the question of when this war will end and whether it will end justly for Ukraine. I am confident that it can be so. It will be so.
Everyone can see what the protection of the sky gives. It is a guarantee that there will be normal life in the cities. There will be an economy. There will be people. Long-range air defense can also ensure the functioning of our corridors in the Black Sea and the Danube region. Air defense will ensure that Russian jets will not be able to approach our borders. And therefore it will solve the issue of Russian guided bombs.
We all need this kind of push now. A step forward in our defense. Air defense. For Ukraine, this will be a victory of life. It is vital. For Russia, it will be a failure of its key strategy – the strategy of terror, what will it have left but this?
We need to protect people. We need the opportunity to live and accumulate economic activity. We need normal exports. Grain is the key to global food security – Ukrainian grain. Then there is metallurgy. Other goods of our exports. It is the economic basis of life. We need children to be able to study at schools, not online. And we need people to live not only from one air alarm to another, but based on their plans for days, weeks… better – months. When this happens, the majority of our people who have found temporary refuge abroad will start to come back. Millions of Ukrainians! The stronger we are socially and economically, the more powerful we will be in the military sense. We will be able to ensure the work of a greater number and capacity of defense industries in Ukraine. We will be able to depend much less on the assistance of our partners. We will be able to provide more support to the front line.
Dear friends!
We must win the winter battle against terror. We can win it. And along with it, we can win the battle for how and on whose terms this war will end. Ukraine can survive. It will survive. However, it is important to take the weapons out of the hands of our enemy. What is Russia’s strength? Let’s be honest. Only the fact that they can destroy lives. Russia is not capable of doing anything else. Is it a security donor? No. A supporter of development? No. A political pole? No. A source of economic growth? No. A terrorist? Yes.
That is the only thing! That threatens Ukraine and many other nations. We need to get this instrument out of Russia's hands – the instrument of terror.
The answer is air defense and other types of weapons, the list of which we will discuss and my team will share with you. And above all, please remember that this will not only help to bring a just end to the war for us, but will also keep the war away from you, from your borders and the borders of your allies – from the Alliance. Missiles and drones will not fall in Romania, Poland or elsewhere if they cannot overcome the protection of the Ukrainian sky.
Terrorists like Putin or Hamas seek to hold free and democratic nations as hostages. And they want power over those who seek freedom. The terrorists will not change. They just must lose. And that means we must win. We do! It requires patience. It requires steady and continuous support. We need to take the right steps. Steps that save lives. For real. Vital steps. And strengthen the defense. Significantly.
Air defense is a must. I’m sure you heard me.
Thank you for your invitation! Thank you very much for your attention! And for your common big support during all these days, weeks, months of full-scale war! I thank you and your nations!
President of Ukraine: We have reached good agreements with Belgium on strengthening our army and air defense
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy notes that his visit to the Kingdom of Belgium resulted in agreements to strengthen Ukraine's army and air defense, which is especially important ahead of the winter season.
"We have a very good package of agreements with the Belgian side to reinforce our army. I am grateful for this. First of all, you know, in the run-up to winter, the most important things are everything related to the protection of the sky and energy infrastructure. Air defense and everything that a partner can help us with is a priority today. We have relevant positive steps from the Belgian government," the Head of State said during a meeting with media representatives after the negotiations with Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo in Brussels.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted that during the Ramstein meetings with all partners, the current needs of Ukraine were discussed.
"They know the priorities, they are working on them. We have raised the issue of the very tense situation in Israel and how it might affect us. Our partners assure us that Ukraine will still receive assistance. We believe our partners," the President added.