Day 61 of the war. Address of Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Ukrainians (morning)

Ukrainians, Ukrainian women, all our defenders, yesterday Eastern rite Christians celebrated Easter; the traditional greeting "Christ is risen" also sounded in Russia, but did these words mean the same thing there as they did in the rest of the Orthodox world? Russia congratulated Ukraine on Easter with an air threat across almost our entire state, missile strikes on the Poltava region, and missile strikes on Kremenchuk. Why was this strike needed on Easter? There is no such military threat from which this could secure Russia.

This is simply the conscious destruction of life in Ukraine. Destruction that did not stop even during the greatest Orthodox holiday. So, are these people Christians, who continued yesterday to shell our cities and communities, who shelled Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region, who killed two more children on Easter in the Donetsk region, girls aged 5 and 14? Killing children, destroying lives, covering it with cynical and total lies committed against peaceful cities. Everything Russia is doing on the territory of Ukraine is definitely not Christianity.

This is what Christ opposed. And non-Christian people are those who once again refused to open humanitarian corridors from Mariupol. Non-Christian people are those who filmed propaganda reports in the occupied areas of Ukraine about the distribution of alleged humanitarian Easter kits. Moreover, everyone knows, including in Russia, that until February 24, all Ukrainians, in all corners of Ukraine, had the opportunity to celebrate Easter freely, in any church and without any humanitarian kits. Non-Christian people are those who are trying to build a brutal occupational regime in the captured areas of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

They hold people hostage, torture people, and even on Easter did not let people leave the occupied territory, threatening them with death. Russia was offered an Easter ceasefire, but the Orthodox world saw that Easter means nothing to the Russian invaders. For them, it is simply a red date on the calendar, for which special words and special behavior are needed, but not what is called faith and not what is called Christian goodness. The Russian army made this Easter red not only formally on the calendar, but also red with blood.

Christians would not have done such a thing, having the opportunity to establish peace. So, holding a candle in one's hands in a church does not yet mean being a Christian. Eating or even blessing Easter cakes every year is also too little to be human, to be Christians.

And I am grateful to all our police officers, all employees of the Security Service of Ukraine, and everyone in general who was responsible for security on Easter, for the fact that yesterday they did not allow any provocation. None of what the Russian propagandists announced beforehand. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are repelling attacks by Russian troops in key directions. In the Kharkiv region, in the Izium direction, in Donbas, especially near Popasna, in Mariupol, where the resistance of the city's defenders continues, and in the southern districts, where the occupiers are trying to advance against us.

Air raid sirens were again across almost the entire territory of our state this morning. Vinnytsia region, Rivne, Lviv, Odesa – missile threat. Russia does not cease its attempts to break our resistance to achieve something.

In the occupied areas, either a humanitarian catastrophe has already occurred, or very little time remains until it does. Basic food products are lacking, medicines are lacking. People have no means for a normal existence, no elementary security, none of what there was before February 24, what there was in Donetsk and Luhansk before 2014, everything that we will certainly return after the liberation of our land.

We continue to do everything to expel the occupiers and restore peace for all our people. The key element of this process is the strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the availability of sufficient quantity and quality of weapons, and sufficient quantity and quality of ammunition.

Assistance to Ukraine was question number one in negotiations with representatives of the United States of America, who arrived in Kyiv yesterday: Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Our negotiations with them were quite long, more than three hours, and substantive, encouraging and, importantly, productive. I am grateful to the people of the United States of America, and personally to President Biden, for the powerful and sincere support we are receiving.

These are real things that strengthen not only our state, but democracy as a whole. We, like the United States, understand that when democracy wins in one country, it wins in the whole world. When freedom is defended in one country, it is defended in the whole world.

We coordinated further steps with the American side to strengthen the Armed Forces of Ukraine and satisfy all priority needs of our army, including preparations for a major ministerial meeting in Germany. On Tuesday, 40 defense ministers of partner states will gather. The key issue is the protection of Ukraine. The protection of freedom in Eastern Europe. We discussed ways to strengthen sanctions. The fact that Russia is not seeking peace and demonstratively kills even on Easter indicates that greater sanctions pressure is needed. It is necessary to close all opportunities for Russia to circumvent sanctions.

Thus, we have passed to the partners a special plan for strengthening sanctions against the Russian Federation, developed by an international expert group led by Andriy Yermak and Michael McFaul.

A separate point of the negotiations was financial support for Ukraine. When tyranny has a colossal financial resource from the export of oil and gas, the issue of financial support for freedom becomes vitally important. I heard full understanding of this position from our American friends. Not only in the context of assistance to Ukraine now, in time of war, but also for post-war reconstruction. We continued discussions on the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine.

I am confident that the United States can be a leader among the future guarantor countries of Ukraine's security. The main goal for all of us is to make Europe and the world safer after the war. To guarantee that the security architecture will work in the event of any new threats. I was glad to hear confirmation from our friends that the Embassy of the United States will resume operations in Kyiv in the near future.

Also

the appointment of a new US Ambassador to Ukraine will also take place. This is a very useful gesture of support for our state. I had an important conversation with the President of Turkey, Erdogan. About the situation in Mariupol and the need to evacuate civilians and the wounded. About the need for an immediate exchange of blocked Ukrainian military personnel. We discussed the negotiation process with Russia.

Defense issues. We also touched upon in detail the threat to the global food market provoked by Russia, which blocked our Black Sea ports. The rise in food prices has already reached a critical level in many countries. But this is only the beginning. If Russia does not start seeking peace, the issue of food security in many countries will turn into a question of physical survival for millions of people, and therefore the stability of state systems. More and more political leaders of the world realize this threat, so we expect greater pressure on Russia.

I congratulated the President of France, Macron, on his election victory. We spoke with the President last night. Ukraine will always value his support and will always be grateful for the assistance of France. I am convinced that together with France, together with President Macron, we will be able to do very, very much more for the protection of our common freedom, our united Europe.

Yesterday late in the evening, after all foreign policy affairs, I signed important decrees on the awarding of our heroes. 188 military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and five employees of the Security Service of Ukraine were honored with state awards of Ukraine. The title of Hero of Ukraine was awarded to Colonel Chayuk Denys Valentynovych, deputy commander of the 128th separate mountain assault brigade, for personal courage and effectiveness in battles with the invaders, for the destruction of the enemy's equipment and manpower. Glory to all our heroes!

Eternal memory to everyone who gave their life for Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine!