Russia should see that its ambitions of the invaders will withstand less than our ability to defend freedom - the appeal of the President of Ukraine to the participants of the European Council meeting at the level of EU leaders

Charles, Mr. President! Dear colleagues! Glad to greet all of you. Just before our meeting, I signed a very important one - it is the European integration law. Law on politically significant persons. It is one of the key laws adopted to comply with the European Commission recommendations to open negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the EU. The law significantly enhances the financial monitoring of public persons, and in any country for a political class it is not easy to make such decisions.

But now is a time when you can not do simple solutions. Because this is the time when we are depends on our decision whether we become stronger in protecting our lives. And this applies not only to Ukraine. In Ukraine, now it is just clearly visible that it is at stake. Life. What is at stake - the life we ​​appreciate it. We all. All in Europe. Among us are different ideological approaches. Someone is more liberal, someone more conservative.

There are those who are more active in international affairs, and there are those who differently perceive their role. This is Europe. Continent of different but equal. And, most importantly, equal in the perception of the basis of life, namely-that Europe and the whole world are not a place for the disregard for any nation and efforts to erase any nation. Not a place to raise children in hate to grow killers. We remember the past of Europe.

The past in which millions of human lives have been destroyed precisely because there was a lack of unity. The one that is now. It was the past when someone was solving one and, unfortunately, had the power to decide whether a nation was entitled to existence. This is our historical responsibility with you - not to let the past come back. We should remember that Russia is not at war at our Mariupol or Crimea, but in order to come to Tartu or Gdansk, if they want it.

Many of you have found such a past. Russia seeks to change the borders of Ukraine not only to take possession of one or another area, but to change any borders that they do not like. And you saw that past. And Russia's efforts to prevent Ukraine's accession to the EU or NATO are not just about our country, it is much more. This is about taking away any nation from the European Union or NATO, who is already there, without even asking the will of this people, and deciding everything for it.

What the Kremlin is used to. This war decides what Europe to be. And we have to decide it with you, not the Kremlin. Dear colleagues! Ukraine is doing everything possible to end this war as soon as possible - the victory of our people - in defense and in the development of institutions, in international affairs and in pressure on the aggressor. And I thank each of you who helps us fight. I thank each of the defense packages for our soldiers - for weapons and equipment, for shells, for air defense.

Yesterday, by the way, our warriors knocked Russian shock drones that were moving in the direction of the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Station. Again and again we see who we are dealing with: with evil that can attack even nuclear power plants. Airborne is life. Thank you, thank you all who understands it and help Ukraine with appropriate systems and missiles. The constancy of weapons for Ukraine means the constancy of the protection of the whole of Europe - every neighbor of our neighbor.

And I am especially grateful for the new page of our defense cooperation - for the development of the military industry in Ukraine and with Ukraine. Many European defense companies have joined. And I invite all European defense companies to come to Ukraine and take our experience to multiply it. This is the cooperation that will make all of us stronger - for generations. I thank for the sanction pressure on Russia. Each of the sanctions packets is really needed.

The key is now that all sanctions work for the full and that Russia can not bypass them. We see that this has become one of the top tasks for the Kremlin - to manipulate sanctions, to crush them. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen our joint work against this - against all intermediaries that help Russia to circumvent sanctions, in particular in Europe and in other regions of the world. The new, 12th EU sanctions package is discussed.

We need to take into account the experience of all previous packages. And the power of the new EU sanction step should be greater than the previous ones. It is worth paying attention to the pricing ceiling for Russian oil - it is obvious that it works not as effectively as it was calculated when it was implemented. It is necessary to reduce the ceiling and strengthen the mechanisms of providing it. But I urge you to work on this with our partners, with all of us and all partners with G7 and G20.

And I want to thank Belgium and other states and leaders who work for Russia to feel the price of its cruel blows. All assets of the terrorist state and related persons in all available jurisdictions should be frozen and aimed at compensation for harm from Russian terror. It is fair that the funds accumulated by the Russian regime for the sake of the war were working for the sake of peace.

And this is the affirmation of the power of law - to use such funds in the interests of victims of Russian violations of international law. And I thank you for a very effective support tool - long -term programs, including budget support. Among the EU countries, there are already decisions about such programs from Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania and the European Commission. And, of course, outside the EU - I thank Norway, Japan and Switzerland for long steps.

Currently, the long -term step is also considered in the United States. But in confrontations such as Russia, the one who provides a long strategy wins. Russia should see that its ambitions of the invaders will stand less than our ability to defend our freedom. And so every approved program of such long -term support for Ukraine is a clear signal of Russia that its aggression is in vain and that at least how much resources Putin burned in the war, he still wins.

The Russian elite must see it and feel that it is more difficult for the Russian dictator to keep their positions. Therefore, you should expand this experience of long -term support programs with you. Each of these decisions is not easy. But each of them is the protection of freedom and our Europe with you. Europe is safe. And one more. I thank everyone who makes every effort to maintain unity. Unity with Ukraine. Unity within the European Union. Transatlantic unity.

I would like to note now the unity of the situation in the Middle East - Charles talked about it. We need to do everything to prevent even a larger international fire in the Middle East. The enemies of freedom are very interested in taking the free world to the second front. We must clearly see this calculation and counteract it. Of course, together! I thank all the leaders whose active diplomacy is already working in the direction of security.

The sooner the safety dominate in the Middle East, the faster we will restore security here in Europe. The striking proof of unity is the participation of representatives of all your countries in the third meeting of advisers, which will take place on Saturday on Malta, along with representatives of all continents. Both America, Africa, Asia, Australia. They will discuss the Ukrainian formula of peace - an effective tool to bring civilization to Europe.

It is from the point of view of safety assertion that the key geopolitical manifestation of unity - unity on the issue of EU expanding. It is clear that the path of every nation in the EU is a work based on merit and institutional development. Ukraine does such work. Fully. Even despite a full -scale war, we do not ask for exceptions to the general rules.

Ukraine has practically implemented seven recommendations of the European Commission - both simple decisions and decisions that were difficult for politicians. And we count on your unity in response - the decision to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union. This decision will be one of the strongest decades, and in many respects it will determine the entire further path of the European Union.