Statement by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at Government session

Dear colleagues, fellow Ukrainians!

For two days in a row, the russian terrorist regime has been launching massive missile attacks against our cities.

Yesterday there was an attack on Kyiv.

Today, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Sumy, Poltava, Odesa, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.

Dozens of victims, serious damage to infrastructure. Unfortunately, there are some deaths. We express our condolences to the families and loved ones.

We are grateful to our rescuers, firefighters, medics and police officers who are always the first to come to the rescue despite all the danger.

Today’s attacks were aimed primarily at our energy sector.

It was one of the largest attacks on the energy sector in the two years of the great war. And the most massive attack in this autumn-winter period.

About 20 substations were hit, power plants, including the Dnipro hydroelectric power plant, were damaged. There are problems in several regions. There are power outages in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Kirovohrad, Sumy and Poltava regions.

However, the key thing now is that the power system is integral and stable.

Thanks to the additional protection of our power facilities, we have withstood the blow. There is no shortage of capacity and no shortage is currently expected.

We are now working to fix everything. Repair teams are working 24/7 to restore power to Ukrainian homes as soon as possible.

We will restore electricity in three stages. First, we will supply power to critical infrastructure. This includes heating, water supply and hospitals. The second stage is to supply power to the population. The third stage is to supply power to industry.

Preliminarily, we need a day to supply power to all household consumers. We will gradually restore everything.

Ukrenergo and the Ministry of Energy will provide all additional details.

Also, our citizens who have had their homes damaged as a result of these massive attacks can take advantage of the Government’s eVidnovlennia programme. We will help with money for repairs.

We document all crimes and destruction. russia will definitely pay for it.

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In fact, this week in Brussels, we spoke with our European partners about how russia should pay.

We are convinced that russia’s frozen assets should work for Ukraine’s victory and recovery.

It was a very busy week in Europe. We have important victories in several areas.

First, Ukraine received EUR 4.5 billion from the EU to finance our budget deficit. Another EUR 1.5 billion will be received in April. In total, this year we expect EUR 16 billion from the European Union.

Second. Europe is creating a new fund for military support for Ukraine. For this year, it will be an additional EUR 5 billion. This will mean more weapons, more equipment, and thus more advantages on the battlefield.

Third. We held the ninth meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Council. The overall progress in the implementation of the Association Agreement is 77%. This is +5% over the past year.

Fourth. On Monday, our Government approved the Plan for the Ukraine Facility. On Wednesday, I personally handed it over to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. We are waiting for its approval by the European side. This plan will significantly accelerate our path to the EU.

Fifth. In the first half of this year, we have to start actual negotiations on our accession. We have a negotiating framework in place. We expect it to be approved in the near future.

Sixth. Negotiations will take place simultaneously with sectoral integration. The key thing for us now is to extend the ‘economic visa-free regime’, i.e. duty-free trade with the EU. We have a preliminary agreement. We continue to defend the interests of Ukraine and our producers.

Seventh. Step by step, we are getting closer to making the russian assets frozen in the EU work for the victory and recovery of Ukraine. The first step is the transfer of proceeds from frozen assets. The next step is full confiscation. We are looking for optimal solutions.

Eighth. Europe is waking up.

Europe is now more aware of the threat from russian barbarians than ever. We are converting this into assistance to Ukraine.

Weapons, finance, russian assets, sanctions, our European integration. There are many topics and nuances, but we are moving quickly in all directions. This is necessary for the sustainability, victory and recovery of Ukraine.

We are grateful to the European Union, European leaders and peoples of Europe for their solidarity and support.

I am grateful to everyone who defends, fights and changes Ukraine for the better.

Thank you for your attention.

Glory to Ukraine!