Yesterday at 20:25
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the G7 Summit in Germany in a video conference format.
He thanked the G7 countries for the defense and financial support for Ukraine during the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, as well as for the consistent sanctions policy against the aggressor country.
The President stressed the importance of the decision to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate for accession to the European Union.
“This decision fully reflects our progress in European integration, our contribution to the protection of European values, which we are all talking about,” the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that G7 leaders focus on concrete steps that could be useful both for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe.
In particular, the President invited the G7 to join the work on security guarantees for Ukraine. The Head of State stressed that these guarantees in the future will prevent conflicts such as Russian aggression.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted that our state needs modern and effective missile defense systems that can provide peace to Ukrainian cities far from the front. According to him, Russia is intensifying missile attacks on Ukraine, so it is very important to guarantee basic security to the civilian population. The Head of State stressed that the return of people to work will allow the start of economic processes in settlements, as today the monthly budget deficit of our country is USD 5 billion.
The President of Ukraine also stressed the importance of unblocking the export of Ukrainian grain and called for consideration of effective mechanisms to ensure food security in the world.
In addition, the President stressed the need to increase sanctions pressure on Russia, in particular by forcibly limiting the price of Russian oil exported. Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope that the US Department of State would endorse the decision to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. The President also suggested creating an effective global mechanism for confiscating frozen or seized Russian assets, which should become one of the biggest tools to deter other potential aggressors from attacking neighbors.
He called on the G7 countries to encourage their companies to consider Ukraine as an alternative to the Russian direction. According to the President, after the war, the Ukrainian state will have much better access to the global market compared to the aggressor country. In addition, Ukraine has duty-free access to the markets of leading democracies.
The President also noted the importance of post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, this will be the largest economic project of our time, participation in which will significantly strengthen the G7 countries.
The Summit is attended by President of the United States Joseph Biden, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson, Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi, Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Charles Michel.
