Address by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal at the Government meeting

Distinguished colleagues, fellow Ukrainians.

Overnight, a russian drone attacked the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The attack damaged the shelter protecting the world from radiation from Chornobyl NPP Unit 4.

As of now, the radiation background is normal. We are constantly monitoring it. All services are working on site. We are holding the necessary consultations with our partners. We will restore everything quickly.

This is not the first time that russia has put Europe at risk of a nuclear catastrophe with its reckless actions. Europe and the world must respond to this threat together.

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We must work together to stop the aggressor.

At the same time, it is more important than ever for Ukrainians to remember that no one will build a strong, free and prosperous Ukraine for us but ourselves.

The Government is focused on strengthening our defence capabilities, rebuilding the economy, increasing the domestic production of weapons and supporting Ukrainian families.

One of the key areas of this support is affordable medicines and quality medical services.

Prices for medicines, which have risen significantly over the past three years, will be cut in March.

At the initiative of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the National Security and Defence Council endorsed measures aimed at reducing the prices of medicines for our citizens. In particular, Ukrainian manufacturers will cut selling prices for 100 most popular medicines by 30% starting from 1 March.

Today, pursuant to the decision of the National Security and Defence Council, the Government approves other measures to reduce the cost of medicines. First andf foremost, we launch a number of regulations to ensure their transparent pricing and proper competition.

We are talking about limiting the maximum trade margin for pharmacies to no more than 35% for over-the-counter drugs and a regressive scale for prescription drugs. Suppliers will be permitted to add no more than 8% to the wholesale price, depending on the cost of the drug.

At the same time, we will intensify control over the availability of medicines in hospitals. Patients should receive medicines in hospitals free of charge. The state pays for this as part of the medical guarantee programme.

Besides, as part of the Winter Support initiative, the Affordable Medicines programme has been expanded at a record level, which allows Ukrainians to receive medicines for the most widespread chronic diseases free of charge or with a partial payment.

For this purpose, the budget contains more than UAH 6 billion.

The updated programme includes more than 30 new active substances. All this will allow at least 500,000 more Ukrainians to save money on treatment. The next update is planned for summer.

In addition, the Government is working to improve the distribution of medicines.

Ukrposhta delivers medicines free of charge across the country.

Mobile pharmacies are now operating in 650 settlements that lack stationary pharmacies.

Apart from that,starting from July this year, all pharmacies will be obliged to enter into an agreement with the NHSU and sell medicines under the Affordable Medicines programme.

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We clearly understand that broad support for Ukrainian families in the social and healthcare sectors is only possible if the economic situation and financial stability of the state are stable.

One of the key elements of our financial stability is USD 50 billion from our partners, which is secured by the proceeds of frozen russian assets. We should have access to these funds this year.

Nevertheless, our position is clear and absolutely unchanged: all russian frozen assets must be fully confiscated and used to rebuild and consolidate the Ukrainian state.

We are constantly working on this task.

Today we set up an interagency working group on the use and recovery of frozen and confiscated russian sovereign assets in favour of Ukraine.

The work continues on the development of an International compensation mechanism.

We will do everything necessary to ensure that russia pays in full.

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The second key element of our financial stability is, certainly, the Ukrainian economy.

One of the key priorities in economic policy is the Made in Ukraine programme. Our key goal is to support Ukrainian producers who invest in Ukraine and create added value here.

Today we endorse a decision to earmark UAH 5.1 billion for programs part of the Made in Ukraine policy.

In particular, we disburse UAH 2 billion for humanitarian demining of agricultural land. Ukrainian farmers can receive 100% compensation for the demining of their land and resume work as soon as possible.

We direct UAH 1.6 billion to support internal demand for domestic goods and services. This includes the National Cashback programme and compensation for the products of the Ukrainian industry, in particular for the purchase of equipment and machinery. In this way, we stimulate domestic mechanical engineering and the creation of added value in Ukraine.

Another UAH 500 million will be allocated to compensate for the purchase of agricultural machinery made in Ukraine. Thanks to this programme, we expect the production of relevant machinery and equipment to increase by 10-15% this year.

We allocate UAH 500 million to create high-quality infrastructure for industrial parks. These resources will be used to build engineering and transport infrastructure and connect the seven industrial parks to the grid.

Alongside this, we continue to support small and medium-sized businesses through grants and affordable loans. We support Ukrainian exports. We are scaling up recovery programmes.

We are working to ensure that Ukraine becomes a strong and prosperous member of the European Union as soon as possible.

I am grateful to everyone who is working on this with us.

I thank our defenders who are fighting for this on the frontline.

Thank you for your attention.

Glory to Ukraine!