Address by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal

Good afternoon, dear colleagues, dear Ukrainians.

We start the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. We continue to work round the clock for the victory of Ukraine.

The other day I voiced nine main directions of the Government's work in the conditions of martial law and the war against russia. Two of these nine areas concerned social policy and assistance to temporary migrants. From the first days of the full-blown war, both the

President and the Government promised financial, housing and work assistance. We keep our word. Relevant programs are working. Some of them have already been put into practice.

Over the last 3 months, UAH 78 billion in social benefits have been financed. State assistance to families with children, low-income families, people with disabilities. The state fulfills all obligations. We provide financial assistance.

In March, pensions of all our retirees were indexed by 14%. This is plus UAH 400 on average before pensions. In addition, at the end of March we started paying pensions in advance for April. We are talking about those areas where hostilities are active. Some retirees have already received their payments. That's about 2 million people. Everyone else will receive them in the coming days.

Yesterday was the last day when it was possible to apply for the ePidtrymka program, under which a sum worth UAH 6,500 was paid to those who lost their jobs. We received almost 5 million applications. Payments amounted to UAH 22 billion, received by almost 3.5 million people. This successful program has already helped many of our citizens.

The next program that kicks off today is work for internally displaced persons (IDPs). We are starting to accept applications from businesses that hire IDPs. UAH 6,500 for each new employee so that people receive these funds and can get a job in those businesses that are ready to work in martial law.

The registration of IDPs also continues. Currently, 260,000 people are registered with the social security authorities. Based on this registration, the state will pay UAH 2,000 to an adult and UAH 3,000 to a child or a person with a disability. These will be monthly payments. In order to get them, you need to register. Therefore, I urge those who have moved, who need it to register.

I will separately dwell on the housing situation for IDPs. The You Are at Home program works. We will reimburse those who are hosting IDPs to pay for utilities. There are currently vacancies for almost 10,000 IDPs. Visit the state website "You are at home". People can find all the necessary information.

Today we will decide to increase the size of the reserve fund by UAH 73.3 billion. These funds will be reallocated from other budget programs and will be used primarily to meet the key needs of our army and economy. "Everything for the front - everything for victory" is a new state policy that will help us end the war faster.

The guiding principles of the work are formed. Everyone knows what to do. There is a lot of work, so we work as efficiently as possible. This applies to all ministries and departments.

Thank you for your attention. Let's get to the agenda.