Ukraine needs arms deliveries to be significantly paced up - Zelensky

That’s according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who delivered an address to the nation Tuesday night, Ukrinform reports.

“I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!

Today, first of all, we express our gratitude to every warrior of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. It's their professional holiday today. We are talking about thousands of qualified warriors, really brave people, who are not only protecting our state border, but also fighting at the frontline together with the entire Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine, even in the hottest directions... And they are fighting with true heroism. I thank each soldier, sergeant, officer and general of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, all the units that destroy the occupier and protect our communities in the border area from Russian terrorists. Each destroyed Russian subversive group, each repelled Russian assault is a step closer to the day when even the madmen in the Kremlin will realize that they are not able to break Ukraine's spirit. And now I want to praise the units and the warriors of our State Border Guard Service of Ukraine who have shown their best in combat during these days and weeks. Luhansk Border Guard Detachment, the "Revenge" Offensive Guard Brigade, and especially Sergeant Anton Kyrylov, Senior Sergeant Vasyl Luskiv and Senior Lieutenant Serhiy Nezhovorov. Thank you, guys! Donetsk Border Guard Detachment: Soldiers Yaroslav Fedorenko and Denys Yablinskyi, and Senior Soldier Oleh Zimirskyi. Thank you! The south of our country — the warriors of the Kherson Border Guard Detachment: Soldier Serhiy Trotsenko, Sergeant Yuriy Shvets, and Senior Sergeant Anton Kanivets. Thank you! Berdyansk Border Guard Detachment — especially Sergeant Dmytro Manuilov and Senior Lieutenant Serhiy Peretyatko. Well done! Our Border Guard warriors from the Sea Guard units. Thank you all! And special thanks go to Sailor Artem Nazarenko, Senior Sailor Valeriy Lutsenko, Chief Petty Officer Yuriy Petryk, and Lieutenant Anton Konuchenko. Also, Chernihiv Border Guard Detachment, the warriors of which are fighting in the Novopavlivka direction — and doing it quite effectively. Soldier Anatoliy Romanchenko, Staff Sergeant Kostiantyn Melnychuk, and Chief Sergeant Denys Bortnyi. I thank you, guys, and all your brothers-in-arms for your bravery! Earlier yesterday, I also signed several decrees regarding the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and its warriors. I awarded the titles of Hero of Ukraine to Master Sergeant Oleh Pryshnevskyi and Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Oleksiuk. Thank you, guys! I also signed a decree on awarding two hundred and seventy-one border guards with state awards — the Cross of Military Merit and various orders. Furthermore, I signed the law of Ukraine on increasing the staffing of the State Border Guard Service — this way the state recognizes your efficiency, warriors, in protecting Ukraine, our independence, and the lives of our people. The truly effective structures of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine deserve to be expanded and their experience should be shared with other units of our army.

Throughout the day, there were many meetings on military topics — the situation at the front, the occupier's offensive and our actions — both to disrupt Russia's plans and to achieve our goals. The Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, presented a report, and we also discussed with the Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov the deliveries of weapons and the communication with partners. We need a significant speed-up of deliveries to strengthen the capabilities of our soldiers tangibly. It is not Russian air bombs and assault operations that should dominate the frontline, but our Ukrainian initiative — our air defense, our artillery, our drones. We are solving this partially due to our production and to everyone who helps the Defense Forces. We have achieved particular results regarding the matter of drones — I am grateful to everyone who works for this cause, who produces drones, who trains operators, who provides everything we need. I thank each of our partners who now are really doing everything they can to strengthen our position. We are really counting on the promptness of the U.S. deliveries. These are the deliveries that should be felt in the destroyed logistics of the occupiers, in their fear to deploy in any part of the occupied territory, and in our strength — in strength, that should prove itself in the Pokrovsk direction, as well as in the Kurakhove, Siversk, Lyman, and Kupyansk directions… In the south of our country. Everywhere where Russia is pushing and where we have to push it back. And also everywhere where new strike threats may arise.

And one more thing for today.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal delivered a report. We discussed the details of the supply of weapons and ammunition and the relevant work with partners. The Prime Minister reported on the negotiations in this regard — on the implementation of decisions. In particular, I would like to thank the Government and the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic personally for accelerating the implementation of the artillery initiative. We also discussed in detail today the preparations for the first Peace Summit, including the work with the countries of the Global South — government officials, our diplomats, the Office of the President — we all work together to ensure that as many leaders and nations as possible have the opportunity to prove themselves while working for peace. We also discussed the efforts regarding the European direction — the preparation for the decisions we expect in June, the actual start of negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union. These are the really necessary things, and everything is ready on our side.

I thank everyone who fights and works for our country and people! I thank everyone in the world who stands with Ukraine! I thank everyone who helps — on time and in the right way to win.

Glory to Ukraine!”