Over the summer, the foreign policy work of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy focused on bringing our people home from Russian captivity: five prisoner exchanges took place, bringing home 466 of our defenders and 12 civilians.
The Head of State worked to strengthen air defense, including securing licenses to produce interceptor missiles, the supply of air defense systems, the creation of the Anti-Ballistic Coalition and launch of the FREYJA program, reinvigorating the negotiation process to achieve peace, the work of the Coalition of the Willing, signing agreements with partners under the Drone Deal framework, and additional contributions to the PURL initiative.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy held 98 international meetings over the summer.
Abroad, the Head of State met in the E3–Ukraine format (the leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Germany) and in the G7–Ukraine format (the leaders of the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and the European Union). Volodymyr Zelenskyy also met twice with the presidents of the United States and Finland, and with the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Estonia, Canada, Norway, Poland and Sweden, the Federal Chancellor of Germany, the President of the European Council and the NATO Secretary General. In addition, the Head of State held meetings with the presidents of Estonia, Brazil, Kenya, Moldova, the United Arab Emirates, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Serbia, France and Switzerland; the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy; the prime ministers of Belgium, the United Kingdom (with Keir Starmer and his successor Andy Burnham), Greece, Denmark, India, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia and Finland; the President of the European Commission; the Managing Director of the IMF; a bipartisan, bicameral delegation of the U.S. Congress; and the team of defense company Lockheed Martin. The President also had audiences with His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and His Majesty King Philippe of the Belgians.
In Ukraine, the Head of State met in the NB8–Ukraine format (the presidents of Lithuania and Finland, the prime ministers of Estonia, Denmark, Latvia and Norway, as well as the prime ministers of Iceland and Sweden, who joined online). He held two meetings with the President of Finland and one each with the presidents of Albania, Honduras, Estonia, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania and Serbia; the prime ministers of the United Kingdom (with Keir Starmer and his successor Andy Burnham), Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia and Croatia; the presidents of the European Council and European Commission; the NATO Secretary General; the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova; the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation of Belgium; the defense ministers of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Latvia, Türkiye and Sweden; the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Latvia and Germany; U.S. senators; the Chairman Emeritus of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs; the former Special Envoy of the President of the United States for Ukraine; the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations; the U.S. Ambassador to NATO; the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); the National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; the Director-General of UNESCO; and a delegation from defense company Raytheon.
In June, the European Union opened the first negotiating cluster with Ukraine on EU accession, and in July, the second. Ukraine is ready for the remaining four clusters to be opened. In July in Kyiv, the Head of State and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen signed the Letter of Intent on a Strategic Defense Industrial Partnership between Ukraine and the European Commission, which became the first document forming the basis of the Drone Deal.
In August in Kyiv, six documents on defense cooperation were signed with Finland, Norway, and the United Kingdom. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre signed the Agreement on Defense and Security Cooperation under the Drone Deal format and the Joint Declaration on a Strategic Partnership (the Ellisiv Accord). In the presence of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of Finland Alexander Stubb, Ukrainian and Finnish companies signed a Letter of Intent on the production and development of unmanned systems in Finland, a Joint Statement of Intent on the production of unmanned ground vehicles and the development of defense capabilities in Finland, and a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of a joint venture in the field of maritime unmanned systems. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Andy Burnham signed the Joint Declaration of Intent between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ukraine on a UK-Ukraine Artificial Intelligence Partnership, which is an important step in defense cooperation.
In Belgrade, in the presence of the presidents of Ukraine and Serbia, the Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection and Serbia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management in the areas of animal health, food safety, and certain food quality indicators.
Over the summer, the President made 12 foreign visits: two each to the United Kingdom and France, as well as visits to Estonia, Belgium, Ireland, Türkiye, the United States, Poland, Serbia and Moldova.
In London, a meeting in the E3–Ukraine format took place with President of France Emmanuel Macron, Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer.
In Tallinn, Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the Ukraine–Nordic-Baltic Eight Summit. Ukraine signed the Joint Declaration on Enhanced Security and Defense Cooperation with Estonia and the Drone Deal with Latvia, which became the sixth agreement in this format.
In Évian, the President took part in the G7 Summit and the G7–Ukraine meeting, where, among other things, the possibility of granting our country licenses to manufacture anti-ballistic missiles and systems was discussed.
In Brussels, the Head of State took part in a European Council meeting and the 35th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which delivered solid results for strengthening Ukraine.
In Dublin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the ceremony marking Ireland’s assumption of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and met with the country’s Taoiseach and the President of the European Council.
In Ankara, the President took part in the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum, during which the Allies committed to providing Ukraine with €70 billion in security assistance. The Head of State signed Drone Deals with Estonia, the Netherlands and Denmark. During a meeting with the Federal Chancellor of Germany, an implementation agreement was also signed on the joint production of Ukrainian Bars drone missiles in Germany. During a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, a political agreement was reached on granting Ukraine licenses to manufacture interceptor missiles for Patriot systems.
In Paris, the Head of State took part in the presentation of the FREYJA Anti-Ballistic Program, attended, among others, by European manufacturers of key components for defense systems. The leaders of Ukraine, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom signed the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of the Integrated Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition. The President also took part in a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, which brought together representatives of 40 countries. Moldova and North Macedonia, in particular, joined the meeting. The participants in the Coalition of the Willing identified steps to further support Ukraine and put pressure on Russia.
At His Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth, the President held a meeting with the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Andy Burnham. This was the first visit by a foreign leader to the United Kingdom since Andy Burnham took office. The leaders spoke with Ukrainian and British sailors who took part in the Sea Breeze exercises.
In Washington, the Head of State held a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, during which they discussed granting Ukraine licenses to manufacture interceptors for Patriot systems and reinvigorating the diplomatic process. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also met with President of Finland Alexander Stubb and paid tribute to U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. The President held a meeting with more than 60 senators, where, among other things, they discussed the importance of imposing sanctions on Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskyy was present during the vote on a procedural motion concerning the sanctions bill.
In Lublin, the Head of State held a meeting with Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk.
In Belgrade, Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić. The leaders discussed bilateral cooperation, including on infrastructure, ports and railways.
In Chișinău, the President of Ukraine held a bilateral meeting with President of Moldova Maia Sandu, met in a trilateral format with the Presidents of Moldova and Romania, and took part in events marking Moldova’s Independence Day.
Over the summer, the Head of State held 34 phone calls: four with the President of France; three each with the President of Finland, the Prime Minister of Norway, and envoys of the President of the United States, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner; two each with the President of the United States, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands and the NATO Secretary General; and one each with the presidents of Egypt, Costa Rica, Latvia and the UAE; the Federal Chancellor of Germany; the prime ministers of the United Kingdom, Armenia and Sweden; the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia; the Vice President of the United States; Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew; and the President of the European Commission.
As a result of the work carried out in June, July and August, the total amount of financial commitments from the 29 countries participating in PURL reached approximately $6.7 billion since the initiative was launched.
Defense packages and other assistance:
Australia: $70 million for PURL.
Belgium: announced the transfer of seven F-16 fighter jets this year, three for combat operations and four for spare parts.
United Kingdom: announced €300 million in support for the joint delivery with Sweden of 16 modern aircraft to Ukraine. In addition, Ukraine will receive licenses to produce Stone Cloak electronic warfare systems.
Denmark: $100 million for PURL.
Ireland: a new €125 million support package.
Iceland: $6.5 million for PURL.
Latvia: $8 million for PURL.
Lithuania: $23 million for PURL.
Luxembourg: $30 million for PURL, €11 million for the Czech initiative, and €2 million for the development of Ukrainian training centers through EUMAM.
The Netherlands: €500 million in assistance, including $290 million for PURL and €250 million for the procurement of drones for Ukraine from Dutch companies.
Germany: €300 million for the Czech ammunition initiative for Ukraine, and $200 million each for PURL and the JUMPSTART project. Implementing arrangements on the development of anti-ballistic capabilities were also signed.
Norway: €109 million for the development and procurement of maritime drones for Ukraine, $100 million for PURL and $200 million for JUMPSTART, $190 million for artillery ammunition, $120 million for maritime drones and $25 million to support F-16s. Norway also announced that it would provide approximately $9 billion in assistance to Ukraine in 2027.
Portugal: $57 million for PURL.
Slovenia: $50 million for PURL.
Finland: $45 million for PURL.
France: licenses to manufacture SCALP missiles, AASM bombs, and, jointly with Italy, Aster 30 missiles. Ukraine will be the first to receive the new enhanced French-Italian SAMP/T NG systems. An agreement was reached to purchase the first 16 Rafale aircraft with armaments for Ukraine. Training for our pilots and mechanics in France will begin this year. After that, the first four Rafale aircraft will be transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Sweden: $117 million for PURL and the signing of an agreement to purchase 16 Gripen E fighter jets.
European Union: three tranches of defense support under the Ukraine Support Loan. The first, worth €3.9 billion, is for drone procurement. The second, worth nearly €4.5 billion, is for defense needs, including the purchase of Gripen fighter jets. The third, worth €6.1 billion, is for air and missile defense systems, missiles, ammunition and radar stations.
The participants of the Ukraine–Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) Summit – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden – agreed to expand joint production of drones, air defense systems, electronic warfare systems and ammunition, invest in Ukraine’s defense industry, and continue funding through PURL and other mechanisms.
The participants of the Coalition of the Willing agreed to increase military assistance to Ukraine, urgently strengthen Ukrainian air defense, provide defense technologies, and develop the Anti-Ballistic Coalition.
The President continues his dialogue with partners to cover Ukraine’s defense funding deficit of $27 billion. In particular, work is ongoing to bring forward the next tranche of the EU loan, direct frozen Russian assets toward financing Ukraine’s defense, and secure new support packages.
Participation in International Events and Meetings:
The NATO–Ukraine Council (the meeting was held for the first time in this format in Ukraine), the Ukraine–Nordic-Baltic Eight Summit, an online address to participants of the European Union Intergovernmental Conference, the G7–Ukraine meeting, the 35th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and the meeting of the European Council, an online address to participants of the 33rd Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the NATO Summit in Ankara, the presentation of the FREYJA anti-ballistic program and the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris, the 5th Ukraine–Southeast Europe Summit in Kyiv, events marking the 975th anniversary of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the United24 Summit, the International Veterans Forum, the Ukraine–NB8 summit, the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Kyiv, and the Sixth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen.
Sanctions Measures:
The President signed decrees implementing decisions of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to impose sanctions on Russia’s financial sector; suppliers of equipment for Russian defense-industry plants that produce components for missiles, including ballistic missiles; companies that service the aggressor’s military-industrial complex; the nonferrous metals industry; entities involved in the illegal export of Ukrainian grain; Russian senior officials; judges who issued illegal decisions concerning Ukrainians; and collaborators. In addition, restrictions were imposed on authors and distributors of propaganda content for children, propaganda media outlets and propagandists themselves, as well as Russian mobile operators and internet service providers.
The President instructed that a plan be prepared for a special sanctions operation designed to significantly restrict Russia’s defense industry. One of the operation’s main components is sanctions against Russian ballistic missile manufacturers.