Kyiv, 20 October 2022
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a substantive and constructive call with Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The Head of State informed the interlocutor in detail about the situation at the front. Particular attention was paid to the air terror by Russia and the terrorist state’s purposeful destruction of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as Iranian kamikaze drones.
“The goal of these actions is to destroy Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, primarily the energy infrastructure, before winter. Destroy the will of our people. This is what we warned our partners about,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
The President of Ukraine emphasized the urgent need for active actions by international partners to deploy an air shield over Ukraine as soon as possible. Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Germany for the transfer of the first IRIS-T air defense system, which has already proven its high efficiency, and expressed hope for receiving additional such systems. The parties also touched upon the issue of German armored vehicles, artillery systems and other elements of defense assistance from the Federal Republic of Germany necessary for the liberation of Ukrainian lands.
The interlocutors noted the importance of Germany’s continued comprehensive support for Ukraine, material and technical assistance to our defense forces, as well as the readiness to immediately help in overcoming the acute humanitarian consequences of Russian missile terror, in particular in the restoration of electricity, water supply and heating. The President of Ukraine thanked Germany for the first diesel generators provided.
Separately, the leaders discussed Ukraine’s move to the EU, as well as Ukrainian-German cooperation within the UN.
The parties positively assessed the implementation of the grain export initiative and underscored the need for its continuation.
Touching upon the issue of the reconstruction of Ukraine, the interlocutors paid attention to the holding of the International Expert Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine, scheduled for October 25 in Berlin, as one of the activities of the German presidency of the Group of Seven. Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his readiness to address the participants of the Conference in an online format and confirmed the participation of the Prime Minister of Ukraine.
The important results of interaction in the format of the first ladies of Ukraine and Germany, Olena Zelenska and Elke Büdenbender, were positively evaluated. These include, in particular, the treatment of Ukrainian children with cancer in Germany and the launch of the Better Times Stories joint project at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
The Presidents paid attention to the preparation of the expected visit of Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Ukraine.
Source – President of Ukraine