Statement by Volodymyr Zelenskyy During a Joint Press Conference with António Costa and Ursula von der Leyen

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Thank you so much!

Dear Ursula, dear António, our friends, real friends of Ukraine,

Dear journalists,

I am grateful that you have come to Ukraine on this day - 4 years since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Europe has stood with us throughout these difficult, really difficult years, and our people trust Europe. They know we are not alone. In many ways all of this is thanks to your personal efforts, your work and friendship, our friendship - thank you so much, António, thank you so much, Ursula.

There is still much to be done, and today Ursula, António, and I discussed concrete steps that can bring us closer to peace. There is no place for the Russian shadow fleet in European waters, and no place for Russian oil and gas on European markets. We discussed changes to EU legislation that would make it possible to stop Russian tankers and seize the oil they transport - and it is doable.

We also spoke about ensuring that the €90 billion loan works for Ukraine as quickly and effectively as possible. And because Russia continues its attacks on our energy infrastructure and our people, we discussed air defense and energy support. Thank you for the European Commission's readiness to join the implementation of our updated energy strategy. We discussed this today, and I consider it one of the biggest decisions, which is very important for us, of this day - of our meetings. We count on the 20th sanctions package being strong and efficient. It must be adopted as soon as possible. And, of course, there are a lot of different challenges, but we count on it. This is the form of diplomacy Russia understands, and I thank all leaders who support it. This has to be done in the interest of all Europe. I thank all our European friends and our partners - everyone in the European Union - who stands on the right side of history and helps us - Ukraine and Ukrainians. And it's vital that we have started working on the details of a key geopolitical security guarantee for Ukraine and for all of Europe - a clear date for Ukraine's accession to the EU. The year 2027 is very important for us and, I hope, doable, so that Putin cannot block our membership for decades. Thank you so much.

Thank you for your support, for your visit.

Glory to Ukraine!