President Zelenskyy: Global sanctions against Russia must be strong enough

“Putin is addicted to war and killing – and only real strength can force him to abandon that addiction. That is why our defense in Ukraine must be strong enough – this is what most of our meetings have been focused on. And global sanctions against Russia must be strong enough as well,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an address to the media following the meeting of leaders of the countries participating in the Coalition of the Willing on July 10.

We have just concluded a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing. Today’s format was expanded. For the first time, representatives of the United States of America took part in our meeting: General Kellogg, Senators Graham and Blumenthal. A total of 32 participants joined – heads and representatives of states, governments, and international organizations. I want to thank everyone for this level of engagement. It is very important that the format of the Coalition of the Willing is working – truly working – for long-term security and for protection against Russian strikes right now. I would like to extend special thanks to Giorgia for organizing our coalition’s meeting here in Rome, and to Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, who facilitated our contacts in London, as well as to all the countries that joined us today. I am sincerely grateful!

We discussed funding for Ukraine’s Defense Forces – to ensure that our service members feel confident. We talked about weapons production, and there will be increased investment in this area, including drone manufacturing. This is a decision. Today, we worked very specifically and in great detail on the issue of drone funding. Drones, primarily interceptor drones, as well as everything needed to repel Russian attacks and everything needed for our long-range capabilities – this is an obvious priority. I also raised the issue of additional financial support for Ukraine’s Defense Forces. We will work on this with our partners. For now, this direction remains without specifics. Everyone acknowledges that this is a war that can only be overcome through unity – and we have built the unity we need.

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