President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation, speaking about the successes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kherson Oblast and the annual summit of first ladies and gentlemen.

"Ukrainians! Ukrainians!

The 150th day of our defense against Russia, its invasion, is coming to an end. And this day is similar to all the previous ones: more missile strikes, heavy battles on many front lines—Donbas, Kharkiv region—and shelling.

But there's something different about today: we can see how much closer we are to our victory. It will come!

First of all, I can now speak about Kherson Oblast. The occupiers tried to consolidate their position there; their collaborators made arrogant statements in Russian, which is called 'shapkozakidatelskoye'... But what did that help them? Ukrainian Armed Forces are advancing step by step.

Today's missile strike on Odessa, our port, was cynical and revealed a blow to Russia’s own political positions. If anyone in the world still thought there needed to be some dialogue with it, with Russia, some kind of agreements—look what is happening? Today’s Russian 'Kalibr' missiles destroyed any possibility for such statements.

And we see an absolute unity in the global reaction to this strike. The occupiers can no longer deceive anyone. Among other things, as a result of this attack on Odessa, buildings of the Odessa Art Museum were damaged. Missiles hit right next to historical sites of Odessa—sites that are not only part of Ukrainian culture but also European culture.

This obvious Russian barbarism brings us even closer to obtaining exactly the kind of weapons we need for our victory.

Today, I held talks with US Congressmen led by Adam Smith, chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

And we understand each other in half a word. And this also reflects the path we have traveled over all these days—days of war.

I would like to thank the people of the United States and President Biden for a new security assistance package worth $270 million.

Today, I spoke with President Tokayev of Kazakhstan. I thanked him for principled support for Ukraine, our sovereignty, international law. We discussed specific projects in energy, economy, digitalization.

And finally, today the second annual summit of first ladies and gentlemen took place in Kyiv. This year it gathered even more participants—from Warsaw, Brussels, London, Washington. It united top politicians, social activists from other countries with our warriors. Business representatives, sports figures, media people... Writers, showbiz stars, educators, doctors... In today's world, one cannot do without traditional diplomacy alone. Soft power and a sincere desire to help a country fighting for its invincibility and independence are needed. And in this regard, it was very successful.

The initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine has become a tradition over two years—unique for the global community. Everyone recognizes the potential of soft power. But only Ukraine managed to direct its invincibility and potential into specific diplomatic practice.

And generally, we have achieved such massive diplomatic support for Ukraine in these almost five months that Russia cannot oppose it.

The day will come when even missiles will lose their sense to the occupiers. Right now, we manage to shoot down some of them. The goal is to shoot down every one. And we will do everything necessary to obtain modern and effective air defense systems. Our goal.

The state-terrorist daily provides new arguments for this.

As of today, almost 24 thousand defenders of Ukraine have been awarded state honors for their bravery. 160 soldiers were granted the title Hero of Ukraine. Millions of our people joined in defending our country. And I am sincerely grateful to each and every one of them.

Our independence is a collective achievement, ours together. Victory will be shared. It must come! I know. I believe.

Glory to Ukraine!"