Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Putin’s puzzle is to put back together what has already fallen apart. The stronger and more independent the countries of the former Soviet Union are, the harder it will be for him. Ukraine is the key piece in this puzzle. He wants to break us. If he succeeded, dealing with the other countries of the post-Soviet time and space would be easier for him – with full respect for all the countries. Everyone understands this and deeply appreciates Ukraine’s contribution – paid for at such a high price, with the lives of our people – to the independence of other states. We need to build strong relations with an independent Azerbaijan. We support its sovereignty and territorial integrity. This year, after a pause of many years in our relations, we also visited Armenia for the first time. All of this will help. Ukraine’s presence today in the space of the former Soviet countries means independence of those countries. I have been invited, for example, to Moldova’s Independence Day. It is very important for us to maintain such relations, and I am proud that this is how we are building them. From a discussion with Ukraine’s ambassadors. (2/3)…

I held a meeting on our deep-strike operations. Ukraine's plan for long-range sanctions against Russia over this war is being carried out in line with the set priorities. Our strike range has already exceeded 3,000 kilometers, and we continue to expand our ability to operate at even greater distances. The strategic depth of its rear areas, which for a long time was one of Russia's advantages, is now becoming a particular problem for Russia's political and military leadership, as the vast majority of its air defense systems are concentrated around Moscow, state residences, the Crimean Bridge, and St. Petersburg. We have already proven that Ukrainian drones can reach targets in the Ural region, Siberia, and other territories far from Moscow. This year alone, since the launch of our long-range sanctions plan, more than 1,000 fire missions have already been carried out. Oil facilities, critical military production sites, and systemically important elements of Russia's logistics network have been struck. Today, we approved the continuation of our operations and updated the list of priority targets based on their actual impact on Russia and its ability to continue and prolong this war. Our main objective is for our long-range pressure to push Russia even further toward diplomacy by disrupting the production of weapons components, inflicting oil-related and other economic losses, and bringing this war back to its "home harbor." We have put forward every necessary proposal to Russia's political leadership to end this war with a dignified peace. All of our partners know what needs to be done. Our precision is effectively helping create the conditions for real diplomacy. Thank you to Ukraine's Defense Forces! Glory to Ukraine!

We have comprehensive intelligence reports on Russia’s plans for the fall. Putin is preparing the conditions for expanding mobilization. His casualty figures speak for themselves. In less than seven months this year, 221,000 people have joined the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces. During the same period, Russian casualties have amounted to nearly 225,500, among them 131,000 killed and almost 93,000 wounded. A significant share of those wounds are severe, as frontline medical care in Russia is catastrophically poor. Putin is preparing to simply send more Russians to war. He disguises it with different words and signals, but that is what he is preparing to do. It is crucial that, together with our partners, we exert enough pressure on Russia so that the idea of ending this aggression becomes the dominant one – the idea of peace, not of another Russian mobilization.

Ukraine continues applying long‑range sanctions in response to Russian strikes. Last night, the warriors of our Defense Forces hit targets across different regions of Russia that are fueling this war. Once again, a plant in Kirov was struck – the one supplying components for the weapons Russia uses to attack our people. That’s about 1,200 kilometers from Ukraine’s border. Also hit were an oil refinery in Tyumen, a logistics facility in Yekaterinburg, and a fuel and lubricants depot in Rostov‑on‑Don. We also achieved very strong results with long‑range strikes in the Caspian Sea – including vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran, as well as a warship. Thank you for these results! Glory to Ukraine!

All six Kalibr missiles were shot down last night, and 31 out of 33 cruise missiles were intercepted, meaning whenever the necessary capabilities are available, our warriors deliver truly high interception rates. That is the only explanation for the problem with ballistic missiles – insufficient number of interceptors. This is especially true for Patriots. We have proven to all our partners both the need, and more importantly, the possibility of providing greater protection of lives. It is simply nonsensical that, in today’s world, production has still not been scaled up to the level that is actually needed to protect people from ballistic terror. We have long made the case that we are capable of producing such defensive weapons ourselves. If Ukraine were granted U.S. licenses to produce Patriots, our own production would be sufficient both to protect Ukraine and to help partners in need. We are in contact with everyone around the world who can provide air defense missiles now. This is our top priority.

Intelligence once again indicates that the Russians are preparing a new massive strike. This is typical of Putin: right after America’s Independence Day and before the NATO Summit in Ankara. Russia wants to bring more evil and kill people. Please stay safe and heed any air raid alerts. Separately, to partners: any delay with missiles for our air defense – missiles for Patriots – means the loss of lives, and it encourages Russia to continue the war. The world has the necessary quantity and quality of air defense. What is needed are your decisions to ensure real protection of lives in Ukraine. Above all, these are, of course, decisions by the United States, decisions by the strong countries in Europe and around the world. Please be active in your decisions and protect lives. Missiles for Patriots are needed not in warehouses right now, but in Patriot units in Ukraine. I thank everyone who is providing real help.

We offered Putin to meet anywhere where real decisions to end the war could be made. He does not want it. We discussed with the U.S. and France the possibility of a meeting with Russia around the G7, with all democratic nations represented. Putin does not want it. Yesterday, we discussed with President Trump that such a meeting could be organized in the U.S. – in a format where Putin would find it much harder to refuse at least to President Trump. We will see what comes of it. If Russia refuses this chance as well, additional pressure will be needed. From an intervention at the EU Intergovernmental Conference. (3/3)…

There are currently more than a hundred Russian drones in our skies, and there may be more waves of drone attacks throughout the day. Russia continues its strikes and is doing so brazenly – deliberately targeting our railway infrastructure and civilian sites in our cities. Unfortunately, people were wounded and killed in these strikes; my condolences to all their families and loved ones. Yesterday, 14 regions came under attack throughout the day. Overnight, strikes targeted residential and railway infrastructure in the Dnipro and Kharkiv regions, port infrastructure in the Odesa region, and energy facilities in the Poltava region. At all levels, our warriors are countering these attacks, and 111 drones were shot down or jammed overnight alone.

It is important to repel every attack with resilience. It is important to support Ukraine and not remain silent about Russia’s war. Every time the war disappears from the top of the news, it encourages Russia to become even more savage. It is important that our diplomats implement the agreements we reach at the leaders’ level as quickly as possible. Ukraine needs the capacity to defend itself every day, and only strong joint action can ensure this. I thank everyone who is helping!

Russia itself chose to end the partial silence that had lasted for several days. Overnight, more than 200 attack drones were launched against Ukraine. Aerial bombs were used again on the front – more than 80 of them, and over 30 air strikes were recorded. Attack drones were shot down in the Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions, as well as in Kyiv and the region. Energy facilities, apartment buildings, and a kindergarten were damaged, and there was also a strike on an ordinary civilian locomotive on the railway… People have been reported injured as a result of these strikes. And, unfortunately, there are fatalities. My condolences to the family and loved ones.

We have said that we will respond in kind to all Russian steps. Russia must end this war, and it is Russia that must take the step toward a real, lasting ceasefire. Until that happens, sanctions against Moscow are necessary and must remain in place and be strengthened. It is important that there be no easing of pressure and that partners do not stand aside, but continue working together for security, justice, and a reliable peace.

Our contacts with the American side regarding guarantees for the implementation of the arrangements reached recently and announced by the President of the United States are ongoing.

The prisoner exchange – 1,000 for 1,000 – is being prepared and must take place. The Americans assumed responsibility for these guarantees. Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters has handed over the lists for one thousand POWs to the Russian side.

There was American mediation in reaching this arrangement on the exchange, and accordingly, we expect the American side to play an active role in ensuring it’s fulfilled.

Today is the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism. The day when all of Europe marks the end of the most terrible war of the 20th century. A war after which there should have been only genuine peace. That was the dream back then, when the guns of World War II began to fall silent. That war turned our land into a battlefield of brutal fighting, abuse in occupied territory, and the mass destruction of people and life. The losses of the Ukrainian people were among the greatest in World War II. And the contribution of Ukrainians to the defeat of the Nazis was also among the greatest. Millions of Ukrainians, serving in various armies of the Anti-Hitler Coalition states, fought against Nazism. Millions of Ukrainians were among the victors, having done everything in their power to ensure that absolute evil was defeated. Unfortunately, 81 years later, we are once again forced to stop evil – evil that is just as absolute. Evil that brings nothing but ruins and abuse. And evil based on a similar ideology of enmity. An updated version of Nazism, marked: made in Russia. Today, such Russian aggression can and must be defeated by the united free world. And I am grateful to everyone who helps us defend life. I am grateful to everyone who is not allowing this Russian regime to dictate to the world what comes next. Defending people’s lives and the freedom of nations from Putin is an absolutely dignified way to honor the memory of those who did not allow Hitler to subjugate Europe and the world. Eternal gratitude to all who fought against Nazism and liberated people! Blessed memory to all innocent victims of World War II! Glory to every defender of life! Glory to Ukraine!

Over the course of last night, the Russian army continued to strike Ukrainian positions. As of 7 a.m., more than 140 strikes on frontline positions had been recorded. During the night, the Russians carried out 10 assaults, the largest number of them in the Slovyansk sector. They also launched more than 850 strikes with drones of various types – FPVs, “Lancets,” and others. There were attack drones as well. The use of reconnaissance drones in the skies over frontline communities also did not stop.

All of this clearly shows that, on the Russian side, there was not even a token attempt to cease fire on the front. As we did over the past 24 hours, Ukraine will respond in kind today as well. We will defend our positions and people’s lives. Russia must end its war, and everyone will truly see it when movement toward peace begins. Glory to Ukraine!

I thank every state and leader who supported Ukraine’s proposal for a full ceasefire. Russia responded to it only with new strikes and attacks. Throughout the entire day, almost every hour, reports of strikes have been coming in from different regions of Ukraine.
Ukraine will act in kind. Depending on the situation overnight and tomorrow, we will also determine our fully justified responses.

Russia has received from us a clear proposal on silence of the guns and diplomacy – and knows how to contact Ukraine or our partners in order to coordinate the details.

If the one person in Moscow who cannot live without war cares only about one parade and nothing else, that’s a different story. Ukraine is ready to work for peace. Ukraine seeks to end this war with dignity. Russia has fought to the point where even its main parade now depends on us. This is a clear signal: Enough is enough.

An important step in relations with Hungary – today, the funds and valuables of Oschadbank that were seized by Hungarian special services in March of this year were returned. At the time, the Hungarian side unlawfully detained Ukrainian cash-in-transit officers. We brought our people back sooner, and now both the funds and the valuables are back on Ukrainian territory in full. I am grateful to Hungary for its constructive approach and civilized step. I thank everyone on Ukraine’s team who fought for a fair decision and defended the interests of our state and our people. Glory to Ukraine!

https://nitter.net/zelenskyyua/status/2052008588118257866

As of today, there has been no official appeal to Ukraine regarding the modality of a cessation of hostilities that is being claimed on Russian social media. We believe that human life is far more valuable than any anniversary “celebration”. In this regard, we are announcing a ceasefire regime starting at 00:00 on the night of May 5–6. In the time left until that moment, it is realistic to ensure that silence takes effect. We will act reciprocally starting from that moment. It is time for Russian leaders to take real steps to end their war, especially since Russia’s Defense Ministry believes it cannot hold a parade in Moscow without Ukraine’s goodwill.

In any normal country, purchasing stolen goods is an act that entails legal liability. This applies, in particular, to grain stolen by Russia. Another vessel carrying such grain has arrived at a port in Israel and is preparing to unload. This is not – and cannot be – legitimate business. The Israeli authorities cannot be unaware of which ships are arriving at the country’s ports and what cargo they are carrying.

Russia is systematically seizing grain on temporarily occupied Ukrainian land and organizing its export through individuals linked to the occupiers. Such schemes violate the laws of the State of Israel itself. Ukraine has taken all necessary steps through diplomatic channels to prevent such incidents. However, we see that yet another such vessel has not been stopped. I have instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to inform all partners of our state about the situation.

Based on information from our intelligence services, Ukraine is preparing a relevant sanctions package that will cover both those directly transporting this grain and the individuals and legal entities attempting to profit from this criminal scheme. We will also coordinate with European partners to ensure that the relevant individuals are included in European sanctions regimes.

Ukraine counts on partnership and mutual respect with every state. We are genuinely working to enhance security, particularly in the Middle East region. We expect that the Israeli authorities will respect Ukraine and refrain from actions that undermine our bilateral relations.

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I thank every leader who understands how important it is for Ukraine to move toward EU membership. In this war, we defend not only ourselves, but also the European way of life.

Whatever happens with Russia’s ambitions, one thing is clear – Europe together with Ukraine will be able to defend itself. And I believe as a result of both our defense of Europe and our reforms, Ukraine should gain full membership in the EU. Thank you to everyone working to speed it up.

It is important that already in May we can move to unblocking the clusters – to open the first cluster and immediately the rest of 5 clusters and then to start closing the chapters. We seek the same full membership that every EU nation has – from Cyprus to Poland. The only thing we ask is speeding up the full membership – with a clear start date for membership.

This is necessary to prevent Russia from endlessly blocking our path – and not only blocking, but also dividing and weakening Europe to stop Ukraine. A clear timeline and a fast track can prevent this. That is why we are asking for it. We are ready to work together to make Ukraine’s membership happen. Thank you.

From an address at the European Council meeting (3/3).

Ukraine is now actively working with countries in the Middle East and the Gulf. We are preparing cooperation with the Caucasus and talking to other partners. And I want to stress – Ukraine offers not just drones, but a full defense system.

For example, Arab states have strong air defense against missiles, and we help them set up protection against Shahed drones and at sea. This kind of integrated defense is what we need to build for Europe as well – to protect borders, coastlines, the sea, infrastructure, and everything that could be targeted.

I believe this should be a truly European project. Of course, each country works for its own defense, but joint European efforts can have much greater impact. SAFE program – likely not enough, because each country does what it sees fit, and what it can do, while drone threats are new and
evolving.

We need to coordinate and create a common European tool – a program on drones. We are ready to invest our expertise, our facilities, and our capacity.

From an address at the European Council meeting (2/3).

I thank all European leaders for the European support package for Ukraine and the 20th sanctions package against Russia. This will truly help.

We really count on the 90 billion support package to deliver the first tranche – as soon as possible. This money is for our army, and we are ready to buy weapons with it – including air defense. It is also funding that will help us prepare for winter – and work has already started to protect our energy system, and the European funds will support this as well.

And please continue your work on sanctions against Russia. It is right to strengthen sanctions, especially since the Americans have eased some of theirs. Right now, the situation on the front in Ukraine is special. Our positions are more stable than in previous months and years, and Russia is losing at least 30-35 thousand soldiers every month. It is difficult for Russia, and we should make it even harder for them – in order to push them to diplomacy.

From an address at the European Council meeting (1/3).

Congratulations to @magyarpeterMP@twitter.com and the TISZA party on their resounding victory. It is important when constructive approach prevails.

Ukraine has always sought good-neighbourly relations with everyone in Europe and we are ready to advance our cooperation with Hungary.

Europe and every European nation must get stronger, and millions of Europeans seek cooperation and stability.

We are ready for meetings and joint constructive work for the benefit of both nations, as well as peace, security, and stability in Europe.