Address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, October 18, 2023

“Minister of Defense presented a program of action; first steps have already been taken to resolve issues raised by the military,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Dear Ukrainians!

In Zaporizhzhia, rescue operations have been ongoing all day at the scene of a Russian missile hit. Part of an ordinary residential building was destroyed – floors three through five in one of the blocks. As of now, five people have been reported dead. My condolences to the families and friends. Another five people were injured and are being provided with the necessary assistance. I am grateful to everyone who is working on the ground and supporting people: the State Emergency Service, medical workers, our police, and utilities.

And I thank all our warriors who are striking back at the occupier and thus bringing justice to Ukraine. This is the foundation of our state’s existence – to destroy the enemy and thus protect people. The more successful our warriors are, the more progress is made at the front, the more significant losses Russian troops suffer, the sooner we will be able to return security to all our cities and villages. To every community – from Sumy to Zaporizhzhia region, from Orikhiv to every other city in our country.

Today I had important phone calls with the Prime Minister of Norway and the President of France. In particular, we discussed the situation on the battlefield, support for our troops, defense cooperation, and the work of grain corridors in the Black Sea. This is important not only for our country, but also for the whole world, for global stability. Special attention, of course, is paid to enhancing air defense and our long-range capabilities, our strength at sea.

We also discussed with the Prime Minister of Norway the start of the work on security guarantees on the basis of the relevant declaration of the G7. I invited Norway to take part in the next meeting on the Peace Formula. With the President of France, we discussed further cooperation at the EU level – both political work to open membership negotiations and macro-financial assistance for Ukraine. Invited both Norway and France to participate in our summit on food security and the “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian initiative to be held next month.

Full text of the address: Office of the President of Ukraine