President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala in Kyiv. The Head of State noted the importance of this visit, as it is taking place when Ukraine is facing Russian attacks on civil infrastructure, particularly on energy facilities.
“50 Russian missiles only this morning. The Prime Minister personally saw what such terror means and what damage it does to Ukraine, namely to our civilian population. I thank you, Petr, for the assistance already provided to our state, for your willingness to increase support to overcome the consequences of Russian terror, and for your willingness to increase pressure on the Russian Federation, which erases itself from international relations with its terror every day,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the meeting.
The President of Ukraine stated that Russia deliberately resorts to escalation, and this escalation of aggression deserves tough reaction from the whole world, both at the national level and at the level of international organizations and associations of states.
“Russia should have no place in the G20, the UN and other structures that were created specifically to protect peace and cooperation between nations. It is obvious that Russia just exploits all such structures cynically to cover up its crimes. Any criminal must bear responsibility for what he has committed,” emphasized President Zelenskyy. He noted that during the meeting with Petr Fiala, steps were coordinated to increase sanctions against the Russian Federation for terror and bring it to justice.
“That is, the creation of a special tribunal regarding the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine and an international compensation mechanism that will ensure compensation for all damages caused by the Russian war at the expense of Russian assets,” the President said.
For his part, Petr Fiala noted that today’s massive shelling of Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, which coincided with his visit, clearly demonstrates what Ukrainians are going through every day and how urgent concrete steps and actions to support Ukraine are.
He noted the courage of Ukrainian people in defending democratic values, freedom and territorial integrity of their state.
The parties also discussed defense cooperation focusing on strengthening anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense, protection against drones, which Russia has acquired from Iran.
“We will continue to support Ukraine, because we see: in the east of Ukraine, Russia’s actions are becoming more aggressive, and Russia’s policy is becoming more aggressive. It is shown, inter alia, in attacks on energy infrastructure, which we observe in particular today. These are moments that concern not only the military – it concerns civilians who are suffering,” said Petr Fiala.
In this context, he emphasized the importance of providing military, humanitarian, and economic assistance to Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Petr Fiala also discussed the involvement of the Czech Republic in the training of Ukrainian defenders and the projects for the production and repair of military equipment.
“This increases the defense of Ukraine, gives new strength to the Czech Republic, and also provides the Czech Republic with new jobs and technological opportunities,” underlined the President of Ukraine.
The parties discussed in detail the rebuilding of Ukraine and the needs to eliminate the consequences of the destruction caused by Russia.
The parties also discussed the entire spectrum of interaction within the European Union, as the Czech Republic currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
“I thank the Czech Republic for supporting Ukraine in the matter of allocation of European macro-financial aid for our country. And also for real assistance to our European integration process. I hope that at the stage of the Czech Presidency we will see an assessment by the European Commission of Ukraine’s implementation of the seven recommendations that were given to us, and clarity regarding the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU,” the Head of State said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also awarded Petr Fiala with the Order of Yaroslav the Wise of the I degree, which the Prime Minister received for his outstanding personal contribution to the development of Ukrainian-Czech interstate cooperation, support for the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The President of Ukraine thanked the Czech people, who are holding rallies in support of Ukraine and the common European values of the two peoples.
“For Ukraine to have a clear prospect of joining Western structures – NATO and the European Union,” the Prime Minister noted and added that the Czech Republic is a partner that Ukraine can rely on in these matters.
Petr Fiala assured that Ukraine will be a priority during the Czech Presidency in the EU, and all the bodies of the EU will welcome the steps taken by Ukraine.
