Address by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal

Heroic people of Ukraine!

The fifty-fouth day of the war is underway.

Despite all the difficulties and challenges, the country is getting back to work. This is an essential prerequisite for our victory. We exert every effort to ensure that more businesses embark on activities again.

The state also continues to meet all social obligations. Pensions, salaries,

scholarships, subsidies – all of these are covered. We have launched programs to support our people, who now need it most. Those in temporary occupation. Those in frontline cities. Those whose hometowns have recently been de-occupied, and those who have been forced to flee their homes. We are trying to help everyone, because by supporting each other, we are becoming stronger. By doing that we are approaching victory.

Therefore, I’d like to brief you about our activities.

We engage in vigorous activities to rebuild the recently de-occupied territories. A temporary bridge was opened in Stoianka today. This means that Zhytomyr highway will be operational again. Electricity, water and gas supplies have already been restored in most of the recently liberated villages and towns. More than 150 km of roads have already been cleared. Railway connection with Chernihiv was restored as well.

The first UAH 600 million was directed on assistance for IDPs. Yesterday the President of Ukraine told about this program. It envisages payments of UAH 2,000 to an adult and UAH 3,000 to a child or person with a disability. Monthly.

The Government’s decree clearly defines which categories are entitled to get compensation as a result of russia’s war against Ukraine. Those are registered internally displaced persons, Ukrainians evacuated from areas of active hostilities and those residing in de-occupied settlements.

In addition to payments from the state, the most affected and vulnerable Ukrainians will be able to receive finance from international humanitarian organizations - the UN and UNICEF. The Government has endorsed a resolution on the possibility of applying for such assistance through the Diia portal. We are currently working on the technical implementation of such a decision.

Also at the level of the Cabinet of Ministers, we have decided that Ukrainian citizens staying now on temporary occupied or besieged territories, will be fully accrued and paid all appropriate social payments: pensions, social assistance, benefits and subsidies.

Apart from that, food packages for towns in the frontline zones were procured to the tune of UAH 5 billion. We distribute products for free. Hundreds of Ukrainian food industry companies are involved to fulfill these orders.

We continue to reimburse the cost of utilities for families who have provided internally displaced citizens with shelter. By the way, we leave electricity tariffs for people unchanged - UAH 1.44 per kWh for Ukrainian households consuming less than 250 kWh a month.

The first resource of UAH 200 million was allocated for businesses employing internally displaced persons. The pay amounts to UAH 6,500 for partial compensation of salaries per each employed migrant. We encourage to hire such people.

In recent weeks, 25% of small and medium-sized companies have increased their workload. In addition, the business has improved expectations for turnover by 10-20% compared to early April.

The losses already suffered by entrepreneurs are enormous. But tax cuts, loans at 0% interest and improved logistics routes will contribute to the recovery. I urge Ukrainians to support our domestic business. Especially small and medium entrepreneurs. This is how you help restart the economy.

With state support, more than 400 companies have already been relocated to safer regions not affected by active hostilities. More than 200 are already operating.

Last week, agreements were reached on the disbursement of a USD 500 million by international partners - USD 400 million from Canada and USD 100 million from Japan.

Ports of all EU countries have terminated servicing russian vessels. Meanwhile, the countries of the European Union are finally starting to negotiate the oil embargo and tightening sanctions against Sberbank. These decisions are immediate to speed up. These decisions will help stop the war.

russia's default becomes a matter of weeks but not months.

Every day, our team, led by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, negotiates with partners the importance of further pressure on russia. And I assure that this economic and financial pressure will prolong.

Just as we are all confident in Ukraine's victory. We are working to bring it closer. We believe in our Armed Forces. We thank and support our defenders.

Glory to Ukraine!