Henry Danilo

Europe, together with America, has better weapons than Russia. We also have stronger tactical solutions – our operation “Spiderweb” yesterday proved that. Russia must feel what its losses mean. That is what will push it toward diplomacy. And when Russia takes losses in this war, it’s obvious to everyone that Ukraine is the one holding the line – not just for itself, but for all of Europe. Ask your intelligence – what is Russia planning this summer in Belarus? If they’re bold enough to prepare attacks from there, then we need more strength – together. And right now, that means strengthening Ukraine – so we can stop this war and prevent it from spreading. That’s why weapons production matters. At today’s summit in Vilnius with the Bucharest Nine and the Nordic Countries, I thanked our partners for their support, and we are coordinating our steps together.

Today, I met with Türkiye’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, @HakanFidan. I thanked Türkiye and President Erdoğan for supporting our efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace. In particular, for their assistance in organizing the meeting that made it possible to secure the release of one thousand of our people from Russian captivity. The return of all Ukrainians held by Russia is one of our top priorities. We discussed diplomatic efforts — both ours and those of our partners. Russia continues to ignore all calls from the world to cease fire and continues its killings. Moreover, for over a week now, the Russians have been unable to present the so-called “memorandum” they had promised to prepare immediately after the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange. Ukraine has received no documents from them — nor has Türkiye. For a meeting to be meaningful, its agenda must be clear, and the negotiations must be properly prepared. Unfortunately, Russia is doing everything it can to ensure that the next potential meeting brings no results. We value all our cooperation with Türkiye aimed at making diplomacy effective. We are grateful for Türkiye’s clear stance — consistent and full support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

I spoke with Prime Minister of Bulgaria Rosen Zhelyazkov. I invited him to take part in the Ukraine – Southeast Europe Summit. This is an important event where we will discuss the security of our entire region, including Black Sea security, Ukraine’s recovery after the war, and our cooperation across many different areas. The Prime Minister confirmed his participation. The summit will see a high level of representation from participating countries. Thank you.

Russian Shaheds against ordinary trolleybuses. This was a strike on Kharkiv – at least 8 Shahed drones destroyed a trolleybus depot and also damaged nearby residential apartment buildings. A typical Russian strike on ordinary civilian life. In total, Russians used 90 attack drones and 2 ballistic missiles overnight. Such strikes happen every day. The vast majority target civilian infrastructure and have no military purpose. Russia’s strategy is simply to destroy lives. And Russia will not abandon this strategy without sufficient pressure. Even talks of pauses in pressure or easing of sanctions are perceived in Moscow as a political victory – and only encourage further attacks and continued disregard for diplomacy. The world must be resolute and strong – the United States, Europe, and everyone who seeks peace. We must not bargain with the aggressor, but force it to stop the killing and restore security.

Russia is dragging out the war and doing everything it can simply to deceive the countries that are still trying to influence Moscow with words rather than pressure. Words do not work with Moscow. Even the so-called “memorandum,” which they promised and allegedly spent over a week preparing — no one has seen it yet. It has not been shared with Ukraine. It has not been shared with our partners. They haven’t even shared the new agenda with Türkiye – the country that hosted the first meeting. Although they promised the exact opposite, and above all, they promised it to the United States, to President Trump. Another Russian deception. They are doing everything to ensure the meetings are meaningless. And that is yet another reason why there should be sufficient sanctions, sufficient pressure on Russia.

Defense assistance, investments in Ukraine’s defense industry, and support for our path to European integration were the main topics of our meeting with the President of the German Bundestag, @JuliaKloeckner. We discussed ways to bring a just and lasting peace closer. So far, Russia has made no moves in that direction. It is crucial to act together to stop its aggression. We thank Germany for its decision to allocate 7 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine this year. We also addressed the possibility of increasing this amount — we are counting on parliamentary support.

I held a meeting with the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. I thanked him for Germany’s European leadership in providing defense support to Ukraine, especially for its contribution to saving lives and delivering air defense systems. We discussed our cooperation at both national and regional levels, as well as further support for our people. The patronage of the President of Germany over the Chernihiv region is particularly significant. Thanks to this support, four shelters are already being equipped in communities across the region. I am grateful for all forms of assistance. We value Germany’s readiness to continue supporting our people.

Провів зустріч із Президентом Німеччини Франком-Вальтером Штайнмаєром. Подякував за європейське лідерство Німеччини в оборонній підтримці України, особливо за внесок у захист життів і передачу систем ППО. Обговорили нашу співпрацю на державному та регіональному рівнях, подальшу підтримку для наших людей. Важливим є патронат Президента Німеччини над Чернігівщиною. Завдяки цій підтримці в громадах регіону вже облаштовують чотири укриття. Вдячний за всі прояви допомоги. Цінуємо готовність Німеччини й надалі підтримувати наш народ.

Germany is one of the global leaders in supporting Ukraine and defending the rules-based international order. Preserving the rules means preserving normal life for people. That’s exactly what @Bundeskanzler and I talked about today.

Ukraine and Germany have reached new agreements on joint defence production projects. There will be investment in weapons manufacturing in Ukraine, particularly in drone production, which is crucial for saving the lives of our soldiers.