Thread by @ZelenskyyUa

Today, I addressed EU leaders at European Council meeting at a very important moment—a time when Russia is actively trying to turn the cold weather into weapon.

Ukraine knows what to do to prevent the worst scenarios. And this requires decisive and urgent collective action.

The Russians want Ukraine to enter winter in a blackout. Most of the Russian missile and drone strikes are aimed at destroying normal life in our cities and communities—to force people to flee or to leave them completely without electricity.

Yesterday, in the city of Kharkiv, Russian drones struck a kindergarten. This wasn’t a mistake or accident—several drones intentionally hit that place. Luckily, children were saved.

And the day before, in the city of Sumy, “Shahed” drones hit a street. People were killed and injured—right in their cars. And almost every day, energy facilities in our northern Chernihiv region are being hit. And every day, we are in a cycle: the Russians destroy—we restore.

Russia is using all types of weapons—from ballistic missiles hitting power plants to FPV drones attacking local transformers in villages. This terror against energy isn’t just a local problem or conflict between far away states. It’s becoming a part of how future wars might look.

Russia is turning anything destructive into a tool of war—it’s part of their military tactics and doctrine now. That is aggression, creating chaos, and threatening others—not just Ukraine. If Russia isn’t held responsible for this, it will be a danger to other countries too.

We should see our actions now not only as defense—even though that’s the main goal. We also need to build our policies in a way that stops Russia’s destructive tactics from spreading or happening again—in Europe or anywhere else.

When we talk about long-range weapons for Ukraine, we mean that the Putin regime should feel real consequences from this war. I urge you to support everything that helps Ukraine get such capabilities—because it really makes a difference for Russia.

These long-range weapons are not only in the U.S.—some European countries also have them, including Tomahawks. We are already talking to the countries that can help.

Just look at how nervous Putin became when this topic came up. He understands that long-range weapons can truly change the course of the war.

When we talk about frozen Russian assets, we must use them in a way that makes Russia understand: it is paying for its own war. So I ask you to make a decision as soon as possible—Russian assets should be fully used to defend against Russian aggression.

When we push for stronger sanctions, it’s not just about protecting ourselves. Sanctions limit Russia’s war machine but they also put pressure on the people who influence politics: corporations, Putin’s inner circle, Russian oligarchs, and the entire state system.

Thousands of influential people in Russia must clearly feel and understand that Putin and this war are a deadly threat to them—threat to their lives, their money, and their future. That’s why we should act without delay.

We waited quite a while for the 19th sanctions package, but it is finally approved. Thank you. Now it’s important to fully put it into action. And we will coordinate with Norway, Switzerland, the UK, and others so that they apply these strong EU measures in their own systems too.

We need to go further—the world should respect EU sanctions the same way it respects U.S. sanctions. This is important work, so let’s get it done: create strong sanctions control and real consequences for those who break the rules.

It’s critical that yesterday the United States introduced new sanctions against Russia targeting oil companies. I want to thank President Trump for this decision. When Putin avoids diplomacy, when he bluffs, or escalates terror—strong pressure must bring him back to reality.

The proposed mechanism for using frozen Russian assets is fully legal and fair. It’s a model based on the idea of future reparations—holding the aggressor responsible for the damage caused. These huge funds can support Ukraine’s resilience and contribute to your own development.

We plan to use a significant part of frozen Russian assets to buy European weapons. This money can help both you and us. It can also be used right now to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense, air fleet andfrontline positions. That means saving lives.

Anyone who delays the decision on the full use of frozen Russian assets is not only limiting our defense, but also slowing down the EU’s own progress. The time to act on Russian assets is now. And I urge your full support.

Air defense. We’ve spoken with the U.S. government and defense companies about Patriot systems. Even when we pay for the systems and missiles, there’s still a waiting list, and some countries are ahead of us.

Some countries already have Patriot systems, but luckily they don’t need to use them like we do. We suggest changing the order—if we get the systems now, we’re ready to give them back or replace them when it’s our turn.

Please be flexible with our air defense needs—in a time of war, saving lives must be the top priority. And support with air defense must truly be a common European effort—when everyone in Europe helps one, all of Europe wins.

The PURL program. In October, it covered the urgent needs. Now we need to focus on November. Sadly, not all promised contributions have actually arrived yet. Please, let’s speed this up.

I also ask other countries—those not yet in the program—to join. PURL doesn’t just help Ukraine, it also helps keep the U.S. interested in Europe. It shows America that Europe is doing its part. And that matters.

The SAFE program can also be effective. Nearly 20 European countries are already involved. But it will only work if it’s clearly connected to this war—because this war is showing what really works and what doesn’t.

We are talking to everyone to make sure SAFE includes a clear focus on Ukraine. And when we talk about this, we mean co-production, we’re offering to produce together, and the SAFE program makes it possible to identify what really works and focus joint efforts on that.

And the last, but not least, for more than 6 months, progress on the clusters in Ukraine’s EU accession talks has been blocked. This is not fair—and it’s not good for Europe.

Ukraine has done everything needed to open the clusters on time. The blockage is artificial, and we need to find a way to move forward. EU enlargement means more stability in Europe.

EU enlargement is also part of our shared defense—part of Europe’s geopolitical security. I urge you to find a way for the EU to keep its promises, just like Ukraine is keeping its own. Thank you.

I thank President Costa and EU leaders for ensuring that the European Union will continue to stand with Ukraine. It is very important that together we are looking for ways to guarantee resilience and protection—for Ukraine and for everyone in Europe.