Address by the President to the Participants of the Chornobyl International Conference on Nuclear Safety and Recovery

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Thank you, Denys Anatoliiovych, thank you for organizing this meeting today.

Dear friends of Ukraine who are here with us today and who have been helping throughout all the years of the war. Ladies and gentlemen.

First of all, I want to thank all our friends, partners, and all our guests. It is truly very important that on such a day, Ukraine is here, that after the occupation of the plant, we are here together with you - after the actions of our Armed Forces, after all the absolutely heroic workers of the nuclear power plant, who all together liberated our station - I want to thank them for the fact that Ukraine is here, and that Ukraine is not alone.

Denys Anatoliiovych said that today we have a circle of friends here at a high level. I want to thank the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, for being here with us today. Maia, thank you - we always feel the support of the citizens of your wonderful country, who stand with us. I want to thank the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mr. Grossi. Fourteen times during the war, Director General Grossi has supported Ukraine - fourteen times. For us, this is a great honor, and it is not just rhetoric - you have done a great deal. We have probably built a dialogue with the IAEA at such a high level that we have been able to resolve many different issues. Thank you.

Denys Anatoliiovych said that the distinguished President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Odile Renaud-Basso, is here - thank you for being with us. Representatives of the European Union - Mr. Dombrovskis, Mr. Jørgensen - thank you all; ministers of energy, ministers of finance, ministers of foreign affairs, the large diplomatic corps that supports us, our Speaker, Ruslan Oleksiiovych, and all representatives of the Parliament of Ukraine. I am also grateful to the envoys of the United States of America and the European Union. Thank you.

Indeed, today marks 40 years. Forty years ago, a terrible catastrophe occurred in Chornobyl - a catastrophe that had global significance and global consequences. Today, everything is already known about the causes of that catastrophe - the entire chain of decisions and mistakes that led to the accident and the explosion at the fourth power unit of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. People remember the heroism of our firefighters, who saved the plant and saved people. Today, I had the honor of awarding some of these truly heroic individuals who worked - or are working here today. I want to thank you on behalf of all Ukrainians and all our guests. We thank you for your extremely difficult and high-level work, for your service to our state. Thank you. And we would very much like to applaud you - you applauded us at the beginning, thank you for your support, but today all the applause of support and gratitude is for you. Thank you.

The world drew conclusions from that catastrophe - in terms of security, politics, and morality. But no one could have imagined that decades after Chornobyl - after everything countries have done to ensure radiation safety and protect lives - someone would want to turn Chornobyl, the facilities that remain here, and the Exclusion Zone itself into a territory of war. And the worst thing is that when the Russians came to Chornobyl, it became clear that they had absolutely no understanding of where they had come and what this place was. This is important to understand about today's Russia - about this state, about what remains of their culture, and about how they treat people, how they treat life as a whole. The Russians tried to advance on Kyiv through this territory and seize the capital. They dug military positions here in restricted forests, drove military equipment across this land, deployed artillery here and fired from this area, destroyed equipment, and abused our people who work at the Chornobyl plant and associated facilities. Some of our Ukrainian servicemembers, including those from the National Guard of Ukraine who were guarding the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, are still, unfortunately, in captivity in Russia. We have already managed to bring many of them back, but unfortunately some are still there, in Russian captivity. We remember them, and we will bring them back.

The Russians have turned our Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant - the largest plant in Europe - into an instrument of their war. They launch attacks from there against our cities and villages, store weapons, ammunition, and military equipment at the plant, mined its perimeter, and are effectively holding our city of Enerhodar hostage. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has already gone through a full blackout fourteen times.

When the world deals with Russia, everyone must understand that they are dealing with a completely irresponsible - and in many ways simply reckless - force that must be truly constrained for the sake of the security of us all. That is why global sanctions must be strong, resistance to evil must be strong, and support for those defending lives must also be sufficiently strong.

The very fact that the Russians even went so far as to strike the confinement structure that covers the remains of the fourth power unit with a drone, as Denys Anatoliiovych noted, shows that Russia cannot be a participant in civilized international relations.

Dear attendees. Ladies and gentlemen. It is important that the world does not follow Russia's lies about this war - and about everything Russia is doing against Ukraine and Europe. Every Russian strike now proves that there can be no cooperation with Russia until it decides to end this war and move to diplomacy. Every month that Russia prolongs this war shows that the pressure is insufficient. I am grateful to everyone who helps Ukraine and who remembers that only joint efforts can reliably protect lives. Right now, we have many urgent tasks - here in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, particularly the restoration of the confinement structure, and across Ukraine's energy sector as a whole. We must be prepared for any scenario by next winter, and this requires, in particular, sufficient financing for us, for Ukraine. Whatever the Russians may intend to do - we must be ready.

Our government team will outline all the necessary requirements and prospects for our collaboration. It is important that sanctions against Russia for this war are not only extended, but that the world does not give Moscow time to adapt to them. I am grateful to the European Union for ensuring that the 20th sanctions package was finally unblocked and will come into force. We are grateful to every country that is strengthening its national sanctions regimes - this truly helps. And this is a crucial point - that global sanctions should also extend to Russia's nuclear sector and to all associated legal entities and individuals. We must also speak clearly about the fact that only Ukrainian control, only Ukrainian specialists, and Ukrainian safety protocols can guarantee that there will be no radiation-related risks at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. And very importantly, please remember the need to continuously strengthen Ukraine's air defense and our long-range capabilities. This is not only, quite literally, protection for our people and our infrastructure - including the Chornobyl facilities - it also helps us create a real sense in Russia that they will have to bring this war to an end. Russia must end its war - this is the key objective the international community must achieve. Russia must take steps - real steps toward peace. I thank all countries, all leaders, and all international organizations that are working with us in exactly this way - working for peace and security every single day. Thank you for your support.

Glory to Ukraine!