Karim

Today is an important day for our defense and for our relations with the European Union. The European support loan for Ukraine has been unblocked – €90 billion over two years. This package will strengthen our army, make Ukraine more resilient, and enable us to fulfill our social obligations to Ukrainians, as set out in law. It matters that Ukraine is securing this level of financial certainty – after more than four years of full-scale war. We are working to ensure that the first tranche from this support package becomes available as early as May–June. The funds from the European package will be directed, among other priorities, to arms production, the procurement of necessary weapons from partners that we do not yet produce in Ukraine, and the preparation of our energy sector and critical infrastructure for the next winter. During meetings in Cyprus, we will also discuss with partners further sanctions pressure on Russia over this war. The 20th package has been unblocked, and it must be followed by other sanctions steps. And we will continue exploring a new format of cooperation with our partners – Drone Deals – which has already proven effective in the Middle East and the Gulf. We believe that only through joint efforts can we achieve truly significant strength – and Europe deserves that kind of strength. Glory to Ukraine!