Ukraine needs weapons to prevent genocide of Ukrainian people, - Shmyhal
Ukraine needs weapons to protect people, infrastructure and critical objects and to prevent the genocide of the Ukrainian people.
This was announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Facebook, summing up the results of the week, Censor.NET reports.
Shmyhal reminded that this week Russia's ninth large-scale attack on the Ukrainian energy system and heat supply facilities took place. Thanks to the heroic actions of anti-aircraft defense, 60 enemy missiles were destroyed. But there are hits and casualties among civilians.
"We call on our partners to act in order to prevent the genocide of our people in front of the eyes of the whole world. We need weapons to protect people, infrastructure and critically important objects. There must be strong and adequate sanctions for each shelling. This is a matter of Ukraine's survival," - said the Prime Minister.
Shmyhal also announced that the government has defined uniform standards for the work of "points of inviolability" throughout Ukraine. According to him, people will have access to the same set of services. Among them are heat, communication, in particular through Starlink terminals, as well as access to water and electricity.
Currently, more than 5,000 "points of invincibility" are operating in Ukraine. In addition, the authorities should ensure the opening of new points, according to the defined criteria. Their number should triple.
Shmyhal added that in Paris, as a result of the Solidarity Conference, the Forum on Economic Stability and a series of meetings, Ukraine received resources for reconstruction in the total amount of about 1.5 billion euros.
In particular, a EUR 300 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the state-owned company "Ukrenergo" to restore the power grid. There is also an agreement on the purchase of 30 million LED lamps by the European Commission and 5 million lamps by France for a large-scale program of installing modern lighting equipment.
"In order to implement the six steps of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi regarding the sustainable passage of winter, which were announced in Paris, the government instructed the relevant ministries and agencies to ensure the implementation of these steps and the sustainable operation of critical energy infrastructure during the heating season," Shmyhal wrote.
In addition, Ukraine receives assistance in the form of funds and equipment from partners, including another tranche of 500 million euros from the European Union within the framework of a large program of 5 billion euros. These are resources for social payments of the state budget and support for financial stability.
In addition, Ukraine received a EUR 100 million loan on preferential terms from the French Development Agency to finance priority government expenditures.
Ukraine also received a grant of 200 million euros from the German state bank KfW within the framework of the Program to Support the Sustainability of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
According to the Prime Minister, Germany announced a contribution of 30 million euros to the Energy Support Fund of Ukraine. And Norway announced the provision of NOK 1 billion to repair critical infrastructure.
Shmyhal also added that almost 73 tons of energy equipment was handed over to Ukrainian companies by France, and $13 million worth of it came from the USA.
According to him, just this week, in addition to the decision to provide Ukraine with 30 million LED lamps, the European Union agreed on two more important decisions.
First, providing Ukraine with 18 billion euros of macro-financial assistance for 2023. This will make it possible to cover the budget deficit in the coming year and successfully finance non-defense expenditures.
Second, the EU agreed on the 9th package of sanctions against Russia. It deals with finance, technology and media. Almost 200 individuals and organizations involved in Russian aggression are subject to sanctions.
Shmyhal thanked the European partners for their comprehensive support of Ukraine.
