President Zelenskyy: We must strive daily for peace

“I held a meeting of the Staff here today, focusing on air defense, frontline stabilization, and achieving our core security objectives. We need genuine peace, which means we must be genuinely strong for this,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a traditional address to the Ukrainian nation on Dec. 12.

I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!

Today, I am in the Zaporizhzhia region.

On the Day of the Land Forces – I congratulated our warriors and presented them with awards. The 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade, the 27th Rocket Artillery Brigade. As well as our Ukrainian medical staff – I am extremely grateful to everyone – at the stabilization point in the Zaporizhzhia direction. A very high level. Thank you for your professionalism, and thank you all for defending Ukraine, our people.

I had a meaningful conversation with commanders of various levels. Battalion commanders, senior officers. Changes are needed in the training of our military personnel – in training centers. Also, within the brigades themselves, all effective training experiences must be scaled up, and soon. Often, a combat brigade proves to be the best instructor. The right thing to do is to provide direct funding to the brigades, so they can procure drones at their own discretion – exactly the kind they need. We are boosting the allocations. Drone operations must also evolve continuously – because they must adapt to the dynamics of the battlefield. The war demands changes to protect lives. To protect the lives of our guys and to defend Ukraine.

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