Volodymyr Groysman congratulated Ukrainian peacekeepers on professional holiday

Dear compatriots!

On behalf of the Government let me congratulate you on your professional holiday - the Ukrainian Peacekeepers Day!

Having gained independence, from the very first days our state has been actively participating in United Nations peacekeeping missions aimed to provide peace, public security and order of law in many troubled regions of the world by rendering assistance to civilians during armed conflicts. Being exposed to mortal danger, Ukrainian soldiers with dignity carry out a humane mission – they are taking guard of human life protecting from violence and anguish. In peacekeeping operations, thousands of our soldiers and officers have acquired military experience, as well as experience in protecting the civilian population, their lives and peaceful work. The words of gratitude to Ukrainian soldiers have been aired not only by citizens of Ukraine, but also by many countries of the world.

Over the independence years, more than 42,000 Ukrainian soldiers have taken part in peacekeeping missions, for what they gained prestige in the international community. For over a quarter of a century, Ukraine and its peacekeeping forces have demonstrated commitment to peace and order of law on our planet, as there exists hardly anything worse than war that cripples the development of society.

For the fourth consecutive year the territory of Ukraine has been suffering from the Russian aggression, that every day has been taking away the lives of our soldiers and civilians, that has resulted in unprecedented human, infrastructure, economic losses for our country. Facing such challenges our state, as a reliable partner of international peacekeeping missions, calls on the global community to resolve the terrible conflict that rocks Eastern Europe - Ukrainian Donbas. We express gratitude to the OSCE international peacekeeping mission for their active role in the cessation of the terrorist attack, however, as we see, the Russian terrorist forces, having occupied part of the territory of our country, would ignore any agreements on ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons. Therefore, it is extremely important today to consolidate the entire international community and to implement an enhanced peacekeeping mission in separate temporarily uncontrolled areas of Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

I want to express my gratitude to the Ukrainian peacekeepers for the high military skills and enforcement experience they share with the participants in the anti-terror operation, demonstrating their in-depth knowledge, skills to guarantee the protection of civilian population.

I wish all Ukrainian peacekeepers good health, professional growth, well-being. May peace and tranquil prevail in our country, the sky above our homeland be pure!

Prime Minister of Ukraine                                                        Volodymyr GROYSMAN