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00:00President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is speaking live in Kyiv. We can go to that now.
00:04One of the biggest decisions which are very important for us of this day, of our meetings,
00:11and we count on 20 sanctions package being strong and efficient. It must be adopted as soon as
00:18possible. And of course, there are a lot of different challenges, but we can't count on it.
00:25And this is the form of diplomacy Russia understands, and I thank all leaders who support it.
00:33This has to be done in the interest of all Europe. And I thank all our European friends
00:39and our partners, everyone in the European Union who stands on the right side of history and helps
00:46us, Ukraine and Ukrainians. And it's vital that we have started working on the details of a key
00:54geopolitical security guarantee for Ukraine and for all of Europe. And clear date for Ukraine's
01:01accession to the EU, the year 2027 is very important for us. And I hope doable, I hope so that
01:12Putin
01:12cannot block our membership for decades. Thank you so much. Thank you for your support, for your visit.
01:31Dear Volodymyr, dear Ursula, dear Commissioners. On the fourth anniversary of Russia's war of aggression
01:39against Ukraine, Europe stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainian people.
01:45Being in Kyiv today is a statement of solidarity, but it's also a way to thanks Ukrainian people
01:53and Ukraine for your fight for our freedom.
01:58And today we remember, we remember the communities torn apart, the homes destroyed and the children
02:06taken away from their families.
02:09We honor the lives lost, the soldiers, the civilians, the children.
02:15We witness the resilience of Ukrainian people who have shown extraordinary strength in the
02:23face of aggression.
02:25And we reaffirm that Europe's future is tied to Ukraine's freedom.
02:30This anniversary is not just about remembering the past, it's about shaping the future.
02:40And that future is written in Kyiv and not in Moscow.
02:46The only path forward is a just and lasting peace, a peace rooted in the international
02:54law, respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the principles of the United Nations Charter.
03:03Russia cannot be permitted to make gains at the negotiating table where it has failed on
03:11the battlefield.
03:12We welcome all the efforts, including those by our United States partners, towards sustainable
03:20peace.
03:21And Russia must come to the negotiation table in a serious way and accept that it will not
03:29win this war.
03:30After four years of aggression, Ukraine has held firm and Russia has not achieved its objectives
03:41in Ukraine.
03:43Now, instead of engaging in the negotiations in the good phase, Russia is intensifying its
03:52attacks and targeting vital energy infrastructure in the middle of a very harsh winter.
04:01This is an undeniable attack on the innocent civilian population as entire communities are left
04:09without power in freezing temperatures.
04:12This is unacceptable.
04:14And my message is clear.
04:17Ukraine can count on the European Union.
04:22Since the very first day of Russia's war of aggression, the European Union has been unwavering
04:31in full support to Ukraine on all fronts, financially, politically, diplomatically, in terms of security.
04:40And we will continue.
04:42And as soon as possible, I invite the European Commission to deliver in the decision taken
04:51by the European Council, 18 of December, to give a 9 billion euros loan to Ukraine.
05:00But our support goes beyond the immediate.
05:05Ukraine's future is in the European Union.
05:08A prosperous, democratic Ukraine anchored in the European Union is a security guarantee for
05:16all of Europe and one of the key elements of the peace process.
05:23Ukraine has already made remarkable progress on the European reforms, even under the most difficult
05:32circumstances circumstances.
05:34The session process is not just a bureaucratic exercise.
05:38It is a transformation that brings real benefits to the Ukrainian people.
05:44The technical preparations with the European Union institutions are going well.
05:49And we can expect significant progress on the session path in the foreseeable future.
05:58President Zelensky, dear Volodymyr, I encourage you to continue your good efforts in delivering
06:07the necessary reforms.
06:09We will continue to support Ukraine on its accession process.
06:16So, let me end by reiterating.
06:21You can rely on the European Union.
06:24We will be on your side for as long as it takes.
06:29And we are committed to building a free, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine within the European Union.
06:36Thank you, Volodymyr.
06:37Thank you, Volodymyr.
06:37Thank you so much.
06:38Statement by the President of the European Commission.
06:43Yeah, dear Volodymyr, dear Antonio, commissioners, today we stand in Kyiv on a grim anniversary.
06:52It has been four years since Russia launched its full-scale war against your country.
06:59But even in the face of this terror, the resilience of the Ukrainian people remains undimmed.
07:08We have seen four years of extraordinary courage from your soldiers and from your citizens, whose
07:16bravery will echo through history.
07:19This will never be forgotten.
07:22In those four years, the support from your friends and allies has been unwavering in Europe
07:28and beyond, and you can count on it.
07:32Since the beginning of the war, the European Union has provided nearly 200 billion euros
07:38in military and financial support.
07:42More than any other partner, and there is more to come.
07:46And let me spell out three ways of support, how our support will be maintained and how it
07:53will be reinforced.
07:54The first one is the European Union loan of 90 billion euro.
08:01We call it the steel porcupine loan, because it should give Ukraine the strength of a steel
08:09porcupine indigestible for potential invaders.
08:14Let me be crystal clear, and the President of the Council also said it.
08:20The loan was agreed by 27 heads of state and government in the European Council.
08:26They have given their word.
08:28This word cannot be broken.
08:30So we will deliver on the loan, one way or the other.
08:35Let me be very clear, we have different options and we will use them.
08:40Now let's look at the loan itself.
08:43The first priority of the porcupine loan is to address your most urgent defence needs.
08:51It will help to procure, to produce, to develop and to secure advanced defence equipment for
08:59the brave Ukrainian forces.
09:02That ranges from drones to missiles to ammunition.
09:05And the work has already started.
09:08Together with the Ukrainian forces, we have identified a first package, a priority package.
09:15Our aim is to deliver it before Easter.
09:19It includes drones and ammunition.
09:22And in parallel, we are working intensely on the integration of both our defence industries.
09:28We can learn a lot from the Ukrainian defence industry.
09:32You can count on us with our well-established structures in the defence industries.
09:37So more integration is the goal.
09:40Of course, the ultimate aim is that your soldiers will gain a decisive edge on the battlefield
09:47to protect Ukraine.
09:49And of course, the European Union will have access to valuable, cutting-edge innovation
09:55that is also applicable to other industries.
09:59The second priority is to help you through this harsh winter.
10:05Invincibility tents, we have seen it this morning, we visited one, and they have become the symbol
10:11of the Ukrainian solidarity and the unbreakable resolve of Ukraine.
10:17In this difficult moment, let me reassure you that we stand firmly by your side.
10:23The European Commission is the largest donor of energy support to a value of 3 billion euros
10:29so far.
10:30Since the start of the war, we have provided over 11,000 generators and almost 1,000 delivered
10:36in January alone.
10:38But of course, we have to go further.
10:41And therefore, we have now a new package of 100 million euros to deliver immediate support.
10:48That is what is needed right now.
10:51It's available on the market.
10:52So far, the money was not there.
10:54So the 100 million package can immediately be invested.
10:58And while we help you through this winter, we start preparing together with you the next
11:04winter.
11:06We will work on a new, we call it winter energy plan for 26 and 27.
11:12The name is Repair, Rebuild and Restart.
11:14It will include a package of 920 million euros to stabilize Ukraine's energy system.
11:24So just to give a few examples, it will secure the steady flow of electricity across the country.
11:31It will accelerate the decentralization of the production of renewable energy.
11:36You mentioned how important it is.
11:38It will, of course, repair and rebuild and modernize the grids.
11:44And it will repair and restart the damaged power plants, too.
11:49Let me add that there is a lot of coordination that has to go on because lots of in-kind
11:56support
11:57is needed.
11:58It is available, but we have to bring it together.
12:01And therefore, Commissioner Jürgensen and Deputy Prime Minister Schmihal will convene an energy
12:11Rammstein in March already in order to coordinate and have a very seamless and precise work
12:20together from both sides, the Ukrainian and the European Union.
12:24It will ensure that Ukraine gets exactly the supplies and the material it needs now.
12:31Finally, let me address the issue of energy security within the European Union.
12:38The Russian attacks on the Drushba pipeline have had a direct impact on European energy security.
12:45We condemn sharply these Russian attacks.
12:49I would like to thank Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrei Plenkovich, for his efforts to secure and
12:56increase the transport of oil to Hungary, to Slovakia and to Serbia through the Adriatic pipeline.
13:04And in the meantime, we ask for the repairs on the pipeline after the Russian attacks to be accelerated.
13:12Now, our third priority is to maintain maximum pressure on the aggressor.
13:17We will soon get our 20th sanctions package over the line.
13:22Our sanctions will keep draining Russia's revenues and weakening its war machine.
13:28And we are closely coordinating with our G7 partners for maximum scope and impact.
13:34Dear Volodymyr, this morning we honored your fallen at the People's Memorial in Maidan Square.
13:45And today I am also thinking of their comrades bravely holding the line in the trenches.
13:54They fight for peace.
13:56They fight for a better future for their children.
14:01They fight for a simple dream of a free and sovereign Ukraine at the heart of a free Europe.
14:09So let me conclude by saying to them, Europe will stand by you and stand with you until you
14:16have made that dream come true.
14:19Long live Europe and Slava Ukraine.
14:21Long live Europe and Slava Ukraine.
14:25Long live Europe and Slava Ukraine.
14:26And please, first question goes to Apostrov.
14:30Can.
14:34Denis Lushko, Apostrov.
14:35This question will probably be addressed to the European Commission President.
14:41On the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, it was planned to introduce the 20th package
14:46of the sanctions against Russia, as far as I know.
14:49So please tell us why they couldn't be introduced, and can we set a deadline for the adoption
14:56of the 20th package of sanctions, possibly in a reduced or re-changed format?
15:04So the sanctions have to be adopted by unanimity, and this will not change, of course.
15:11But we have been working on 19 sanctions packages with success.
15:16None of it was easy.
15:17We had to negotiate any package, but from the experience that we passed 19 packages
15:23of sanctions, I'm confident that we're also going to pass the 20th one.
15:28It's a matter of time, of course, you're right, it has to be there as soon as possible, but
15:33as we all have the same aim to reduce the revenues for Russia and to dry out the war chest,
15:39there's
15:39a lot of rightly so pressure on us to deliver as soon as possible.
15:45Next question, please, Bloomberg.
15:53Madame President, Ukraine has asked to become member of the EU by 2027.
15:58Is there a way, yes or no, for it to happen, and if so, how?
16:03And President Zelensky, I have a question for you as well.
16:06You have just addressed the European Parliament today, explaining to them the importance of
16:10having a specific date.
16:12What is the latest you are willing to wait for a EU accession?
16:15Thank you very much.
16:17So, on your question, is there a way for Ukraine to become a member of the European Union?
16:22The answer is a very clear yes.
16:24Of course.
16:25Of course.
16:26And they are – Ukraine is on a good way to become a member of the European Union.
16:33You all know that this is a merits-based process.
16:36It has to be, but this also means that the speed depends on the candidate country.
16:43I must say Ukraine is outstanding in the speed at which it fulfills the necessary reforms.
16:50These are tough reforms, not easy reforms.
16:52You need to convince many people to go for it, to modernize the country.
16:57It's for the benefit of the country.
16:59And it is deeply impressive to see the enormous progress Ukraine is making, despite fighting
17:06a war for their survival.
17:07This should never be forgotten.
17:10Of course, from my side – and we spoke about it – a lot of encouragement to keep
17:15up the good pace, the speed of the reforms, because this then, of course, leads to the
17:22marriage that is yours, the accession to the European Union.
17:26I am confident in this process, because we have seen how much Ukraine has progressed.
17:32I understand very well that for you a clear date is also important.
17:37The date you set is your benchmark that you want to match.
17:42You know that from our side, dates by themselves are not possible, but of course the support
17:48that you can reach your goal is absolutely clear on our side.
17:54Thank you very much for your question.
17:55So, first of all, I think that we are – yeah, it's true that we want fast-track for membership.
18:04And we are thankful for big support and with candidate status and et cetera from EU institutions.
18:11And I know that Putin will block it, block our membership in the future.
18:16I don't want for my country, our people, you know, which they live with all these challenges during
18:24all these years of this full-scale invasion, all this war with this tragedy, and that's
18:30why we know we don't want to have the same what we have now – maybe it will not be
18:36in the future – but what we have now with NATO.
18:38Because Russia will block it by themselves, they don't see Ukraine like an independent country,
18:44and they don't see us like a part of European family, so that's why they will do it, definitely.
18:50But we are ready for fast-track, we are ready for fast-track for reforms, and we do it, I
18:56think, the parallel way.
18:57And so, that's it!
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