President Zelenskyy: Europe and America can push the war to an end

“Our priority is air defense – fulfilling agreements with partners, including the United States, to provide Ukraine with the systems we need,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the meeting of the European Council on Dec. 19.

Mr. President Costa!

Ursula, Madam President!

Dear leaders!

Thank you for inviting Ukraine to take part in the European Council’s work, especially now after the renewal of EU institutions.

And I’m also grateful to you, Mr. President, as you said already, but I’m grateful to you and to European Commissioners Kaja Kallas and Marta Kos for visiting Ukraine on the very first day of the new EU leadership’s term. And it was both symbolic and truly supportive.

Now is a good time to reflect on the year and what we’ve achieved together. Europe’s military support for Ukraine has strengthened our ability to defend against Russia, saving countless lives. Sanctions against Russia are growing, and this year saw important progress in targeting its shadow tanker fleet – we must stop Putin from using it to fund the war, and we must remove these old ships from European and international waters to prevent oil spills. We also need to pressure other parts of Russia’s economy and energy exports, including imposing sanctions on Rosatom – another tool of Russian aggression.

We’re united by growing economic cooperation, especially in developing our defense industries. We need to keep increasing weapons production and expanding Europe’s industrial capacity. And I’m grateful to all partners already investing in Ukraine’s defense manufacturing, including drones and artillery, and to those maintaining strong defense budgets. This will remain crucial next year – supplying weapons, boosting production, and strengthening sanctions on Russia to push them toward diplomacy. Europe must stay strong.

Full text of the address: Office of the President of Ukraine