On Our Side, Everything Will Be Prepared to the Fullest to End This War – Address by the President

26 August 2025 - 19:24

I wish you good health, fellow Ukrainians!

The key developments of the day. We are in very active communication with all our partners in the Coalition of the Willing, at multiple levels – both military and political – across Europe and the United States.

The Commander-in-Chief, the Minister of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Office of the President – everyone who needs to be involved is engaged.
Every day we are in contact with our partners – negotiations, meetings.
It is important that everything be as practical as possible – what forces on the ground, in the air, at sea – everything must be clearly defined.
And the foundation of our security is our strong Ukrainian army, Ukraine’s Defense Forces, which means long-term financing for the army and the provision of weapons – all of this will be ensured.
I want to thank every partner who is already with us.
It is important to increase the pace of working through all the details.

Today I spoke with British military officials – the current Chief of the UK Defense Staff and his successor. I am grateful for their support. We discussed the front line, our prospects, and the key foundations for future security guarantees. We greatly value our cooperation with the United Kingdom.

This week, there will also be contacts with Türkiye, there will be contacts with Gulf countries and European states that could serve as platforms for talks with Russia.

On our side, everything will be prepared to the fullest to end this war.

It is important that our partners confirm this.
And further, everything will depend exclusively on the will of the world’s leaders – above all, the United States – to put pressure on Russia.
New steps are needed, new pressure – sanctions, tariffs – all of this must be on the table.

We discussed this with General Kellogg yesterday, and we are working very substantively with the Americans – following our meeting in Washington, we now have a new foundation for joint efforts.

This is significant.
The only signals Russia is sending indicate that it intends to continue evading real negotiations.
This can be changed only through strong sanctions, strong tariffs – real pressure.
We are also taking our own steps that can have an impact.

I want to thank our warriors for their precision – Ukrainian drones and Ukrainian missiles are proving truly effective. Russian logistics and Russian fuel infrastructure are feeling the impact.

Today, I received military reports.

Vasyl Maliuk, Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, also provided updates.
We will continue all Ukrainian active operations and our defensive operations – the enemy leaves us no other option.

A few additional points.

I spoke today with the Prime Minister, particularly about preparations for winter and the heating season.
It is very important to strengthen the relevant cooperation with our European partners – we have good agreements with Norway, and we also need to engage more actively with the European Commission.
I also just held a meeting with the diplomatic team – the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office.
We are preparing new contacts with leaders of partner countries and expect the coming weeks to be very active.

I want to thank everyone who is helping us!

Glory to Ukraine!

The President Discussed Further Support for Ukraine with the Chief of the UK Defense Staff and His Successor

26 August 2025 - 17:24

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the Chief of the UK Defense Staff, Admiral Sir Antony Radakin, who is leaving his post, and his successor, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton.