15 May / 2024
I can start this address with some good news. We have resisted and successfully repelled hostile attacks. The battle continues in many cities and districts of our state. But we know – we are defending our country, our land, and the future of children.
Kyiv and key cities around the capital are under the control of our army. The occupiers wanted to block the center of our state and put their puppets here, as it happened in Donetsk. We ruined their plan. They did not gain any advantage over us.
On our streets, in the skies of Kyiv, in Vasylkiv, in Vyshhorod, even in the surrounding fields, a real battle for Kyiv continued. The enemy used everything: missiles, fighters, drones, artillery, armored vehicles, saboteurs, landing. The occupiers are hitting residential neighborhoods, including jet artillery, trying to destroy energy facilities. They have very vile tactics.
Residential houses, destroyed by missiles and artillery, are the ultimate corroboration for the world to stop this invasion.
I say this as frankly as possible: Ukrainian people have already the right to become a member of the European Union. This will be the key evidence of our country’s support.
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It is a crucial moment to close the long-standing strategic discussion once and for all and to decide on Ukraine’s membership in the European Union. Today, I discussed this with Charles Michel, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron.
The anti-war coalition is operating – Ukraine receives defense weapons and equipment. We have almost full support from EU countries for disconnecting Russia from SWIFT. I hope that Germany and Hungary will have the courage to support this decision. We have the courage to defend our homeland, to defend Europe.
In each of our cities, the Russians are severely trying to occupy, are repelled. Uman, Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Donbas, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kyiv – wherever the enemy kills our people, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are doing everything to stop and destroy the occupiers. Lviv and other cities in western and central Ukraine that are under attack from the air are holding steady. Well done!
Every Ukrainian needs to remember one thing. If you can stop and destroy the occupiers, do it. All those who can return to Ukraine, come back to defend Ukraine. And then we will have a lot of work with you to rebuild it!
All those who can defend Ukraine abroad, do it purposefully, unitedly, continuously! All friends of Ukraine who want to join the defense – come, we will give you weapons! All the details of how to implement this will be announced in the near future.
Glory to all those who defend Ukraine today! You are heroes!
I decided to posthumously award the title of Hero of Ukraine to Vitaliy Skakun, a sapper of the 35th Separate Marine Brigade. At the cost of his own life, he blew up the bridge.
And now I want absolutely everyone in Russia to hear me. Thousands of victims. Hundreds of prisoners simply cannot understand, why they were sent to Ukraine. Sent to die. The sooner you tell your government that the war must stop immediately, the more your people will survive.
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We see that there are indeed protests by your citizens against the war. We know that many in Russia now are simply shocked by the meanness and cruelty of the government. This is a very correct reaction. Thank you for that reaction. Thanks to Leonid Parfenov, Dmitry Muratov, Yuriy Dud, Leah Akhedzhakova, Valery Meladze, and thousands, thousands of other Russians, whose conscience sounds loud. Just stop those who lie to you, lie to us, lie to the whole world. We need to end this war. We can live in a world – in a global world, in a human world.
Our military, National Guards, terrorist defense, border guards, special services, citizens – hold on! We will defeat everyone. Glory to Ukraine!
