00:00Thank you very much for the warm welcome.
00:02It's always good to see you and to be here in Kyiv.
00:06And this time, indeed, I also brought with me the whole North Atlantic Council
00:11for our historic first NATO-Ukraine Council meeting in Kyiv.
00:17This in itself sends a strong message of the enduring bond between NATO and Ukraine.
00:24It is important for us to be here where Ukrainians, young and old,
00:28continue to stand together with courage and conviction that their freedom is worth fighting for.
00:36Russia's aggression continues unabated.
00:40They are bombarding civilians and civilian infrastructure.
00:44Russia is terrorizing the population.
00:47Mass missile and drone attacks to destroy and disrupt and the constant threat of hypersonic strikes.
00:55All of this is taking, of course, a toll on the people of this country.
00:59And increasingly beyond your borders, as we saw just last week in Romania.
01:05The danger Russia continues to pose is real.
01:09And our resolve in defending ourselves and continuing to support Ukraine in the face of this threat is unshaken.
01:18Russia's recklessness is not new.
01:20But as Ukraine continues to stand strong, to innovate and to make battlefield gains,
01:28Russia is increasingly desperate.
01:32Russia's losses are substantial.
01:35Over 30,000 per month.
01:37This means losing more men in one month than the Soviet Union did in 10 years in the 1980s in
01:46Afghanistan.
01:48Absolutely staggering numbers.
01:52I have to say something here, but I need to say it to young Russians and their families.
02:00You are being sold, a raw deal.
02:04Men like you who join the fight, you won't be trained.
02:08The equipment they'll provide you is substandard.
02:14There is a very high chance you'll die or be wounded while you're out there.
02:19And odds are that if you are wounded, you will be left to suffer in the mud and die.
02:27So when we talk about tens of thousands of Russian casualties, that's not abstract.
02:36That will probably be you.
02:39Meanwhile, we know Russia's economy is under serious strain.
02:44Even with some temporary relaxing of sanctions due to oil shortages,
02:49Russia cannot compensate for the toll their war is taking on their bettered finances.
02:55The precious men to bring Russia to the negotiating table.
03:00To end this terrible war that they started over four years ago.
03:06But tragically, they are showing no signs of stopping.
03:10The most recent attacks on Kiev and across Ukraine make that clear.
03:15More Sicilian lives lost, so many wounded, so much damage done.
03:20Well, we strongly condemn Russia's aggression and continue to call for a negotiated peace.
03:27And here, for Lonimir, it's clear that you are really pressing for peace.
03:32At the same time, we are also clear-eyed about the need to continue our support for Ukraine.
03:39And that's why I'm here today in Kiev, along with all 32 NATO allies.
03:46This is a strong sign of NATO's continued commitment to our partnership,
03:53of our persistent support for Ukraine, and the value of our cooperation.
03:59We talked today about the challenges Ukraine faces, the support you need,
04:05what allies are delivering, and also how we can continue to learn from and support each other.
04:12And we discussed how Ukraine is successfully changing the dynamics on the battlefield.
04:21One of the ways in which we support Ukraine is with the Pearl program
04:25through which NATO provides Ukraine with essential U.S. equipment paid for by allies and partners.
04:32Indeed, this includes, as you said, the critical air defense that Ukraine needs
04:38to protect against the Russian ballistic missiles that continue to target civilian infrastructure across this country.
04:46Allies and partners have now pledged nearly 6 billion in U.S. dollars to Ukraine through Pearl,
04:53and that support will continue.
04:56And Pearl is just one avenue through which allies support Ukraine.
05:01Others also continue, including through our command in Wiesbaden, Germany,
05:08the Czech ammunition initiative, and many more.
05:12We continue to work together and to learn from each other in the context of drone and counter-drone technology
05:20and tactics.
05:21And we are seeing more and more direct cooperation among defense industries
05:26pairing Ukrainian ingenuity with investors and industrial know-how across the alliance.
05:32Both for you on the battlefield today, and also for allies tomorrow.
05:40And all of this is an investment in freedom and security.
05:45Freedom and security for Ukraine.
05:48Freedom and security for NATO.
05:52Dear Volodymyr, thanks again for having us here today.
06:03Can we now move on to the Q&A session and the first question, one plus one, please?
06:08Thank you for this opportunity, Elena Chernykova, one plus one.
06:12My first question is directed to both of you at once.
06:16Why are we facing such tremendous deficit of PAK-3 missiles?
06:22Is this financing in the first place, lack of financing or lack of the missiles, the interceptors themselves,
06:29because of the high demand for them and the war in Iran?
06:33So in other words, these new six contributions that were announced,
06:38will they help us receive PAK-3 missiles in the near future?
06:41And Mr. President, well, I must ask you this question today.
06:45You've met with chiefs of some institutions regarding the defense contracts,
06:52and you have set a deadline that one week and either you'll have ready contracts
06:57or there will be personnel decisions.
06:59So could you please share who did not do their job and why we did not receive certain weapons?
07:08So, I mean, let's first agree that this is crucial stuff, these PAK-2, PAK-3 interceptors.
07:16And, of course, you always want the overall volume to be bigger than it is.
07:22The good news is that the flow continues from the U.S. into Ukraine each day, each week,
07:29of these crucial interceptors to make sure that Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure
07:37and innocent people in this country, that the attacks, unluckily, they still can be successful, we know.
07:43But in many cases, you guys are able to intercept these incoming missiles.
07:48The good news is that the missile flow continues, the money is there.
07:54Today also many allies committed to pay into the program, which is absolutely crucial.
08:00But, of course, you always have a risk that intense military operations will have influence on the stocks.
08:08But this is not having, and that's the good news, an immediate impact on Pearl now.
08:12Maybe somewhere in the future, but not now.
08:15And here the president was right.
08:17We are doing everything to make sure the production is ramped up,
08:20to make sure that whatever we still have in our stocks in Europe and the U.S.,
08:23we are able to supply.
08:25And where we can find new ways of defending ourselves.
08:29And Ukraine is taking initiatives here together with European allies
08:32and our allies all over the NATO alliance.
08:35We will do that.
08:39Subscribe to OneIndia and never miss an update.
08:44Download the OneIndia app now.
Comments