Another Massive Russian Attack – Typical of Their Style – Came in Fact Against Ongoing Diplomatic Efforts at Various Levels – Address by the President

I wish you good health, fellow Ukrainians!

Today, recovery efforts continue in many of our regions following the Russian strike. Another massive Russian attack – typical of their style – came in fact against ongoing diplomatic efforts at various levels. Over 400 Russian drones were launched, many of them “shaheds,” and nearly 40 missiles of various types. Our Ukrainian warriors managed to shoot down a significant number of them, but not all.

It is also crucial that Ukrainian diplomats, Ukrainian government officials, and Ukrainian military personnel continue working actively with our partners on what is truly effective – missiles for the Patriots, missiles for the IRIS-Ts, and all other systems we have. All of this is needed practically every day to protect lives.

Last night, the Russians struck, among other targets, facilities critical to the operation of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. And this is dangerous for Ukraine, for our entire region, and for Europe. Today, units at Ukraine’s NPPs reduced power generation, and one unit was automatically shut down. This is a level of attack that no terrorist in the world has ever dared, and Russia must feel the response of the entire world – of all those who truly care about security. And Russia must show that not only such strikes and the war matter to it, but also the ongoing negotiations that are supposed to deliver results.

I want to thank the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, all our rescuers in the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, utility services that are working, and all energy companies – both state-owned and private enterprises. Everyone must now work in maximum coordination, and I want to thank today all those working like this – professionally and with true dedication.

Across our entire country, repair and emergency crews are deployed. Forces are engaged practically from Volyn region to the border communities of Chernihiv and Kharkiv regions. There is still much work to be done in Kyiv, Kyiv region, central Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, and some other regions.

I also instructed the Government and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to provide all necessary assistance to Odesa and Mykolaiv regions due to difficult weather conditions – severe temperature swings, challenging road conditions in the southern regions, and general strain on municipal services. Help must be delivered.

Today, I also met with the Minister of Defense of France: Madam Minister is visiting Ukraine. I briefed her on the consequences of today’s strike. We discussed what is urgently needed for Ukraine’s resilience and for our defense: primarily air defense, military aviation, and joint efforts for our defense, for strengthening Europe. I thank France for all the support provided. I will also be grateful for the implementation of what we discussed today.

One more thing. We had a detailed discussion with our negotiating team after talks with the Americans and in the trilateral format with the Russians. I believe that every meeting is important; every meeting adds clarity on when and how the war can truly end. For Ukraine, and for the overall reliability of any agreements, it is essential that there are security guarantees and that Russia does not return to Ukraine with a third invasion. Security guarantees are what can truly provide greater trust in the diplomatic process and the results we need.

We are currently working on the draft documents the team returned with, as well as on the timeline for further activities – future meetings and steps. I want to thank the team for their work, and in the coming days, we will continue preparing for the next formats with the team. I will also keep our European partners informed on what is on the table and the prospects ahead.

Ukraine is interested in Europe being part of these processes, and what we have achieved in engaging Europe and factoring in Europe’s interests is already quite serious. We continue to count on the same substantial support from Europe and from the United States, and I thank everyone in the United States who truly wants peace – and also on behalf of our other partners around the world. We all need to work together for real peace.

Glory to Ukraine!