President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation, speaking about state policy regarding the veteran community and introducing a new diplomatic-security format called "Kyiv Initiative."

"I wish you good health, dear Ukrainians!

I report on today's activities.

Participated in a special veterans' forum. And announced there changes to state policy regarding the veteran community - we are creating more opportunities for veterans. Without such changes, without this reform, it is simply impossible.

Veterans of the war for Ukraine's independence have become one of the most significant and respected groups in our society. With their own specifics, needs, expectations that need to be responded to so that veterans can contribute not only to defending our country on the front lines but also to post-war development.

And respond not just the state, but business as well, employers, education.

We will create a veteran policy system, services and support for veterans, opportunities for their transition from military service to civilian life that will be on par with the strongest similar systems in the world. You can cite examples of the Israeli model, also the American one.

But our goal is for Ukraine's veteran policy experience to become over time a new example for others around the world to follow.

Conducted a major meeting with representatives from the defense and security sector. Zaluzhnyi, Monastyrskii, Danilov, Budanov and others were present. Key issues - of course - are the situation on the front lines, security situations in large cities, as well as specific security measures related to holiday days and important political events this week - meetings, negotiations.

We are fully prepared for the second Crimean Platform summit. This year's summit will be even stronger than last year's - both in terms of participants and discussion topics. We are significantly expanding the format of the Crimean Platform - we'll announce all the details tomorrow.

And today, a new diplomatic-security format called "Kyiv Initiative" was established. It already involves European neighbors of Ukraine. This is Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Baltic states. We will gradually involve other countries as well. In the "Kyiv Initiative" format, work takes place at the level of foreign policy advisors to heads of state. On our side - this is Andriy Sybiha, Andriy Yermak. And this format will give us the opportunity to strengthen cooperation in the region, joint defense of our interests, primarily security ones. This is a very promising line of work for us on the Euro-Atlantic track.

Today there's good infrastructure news - we have updated and launched a railway branch connecting Ukraine and Moldova. And we did this both on our territory and in Moldova - our "Ukrzaliznyzha" did it, well done. This route was closed for almost 25 years, but now it works again to Ukraine. It's an important transport corridor. And the average volume of cargo could be around ten million tons a year. Thank you to our Moldovan partners.

Search operations have ended at the site where occupiers hit a residential building in Kharkiv. The building was destroyed by Russian shelling last Wednesday. Only today were we able to retrieve the bodies of all those killed under the rubble. One such Russian strike took 19 lives. And such strikes on people in various parts of our country have not stopped for already 180 days.

The total number of different cruise missiles that Russia has used against us is approaching three thousand. The number of Russian artillery strikes is simply impossible to count - there are so many, they are so intense. And yet the state-terrorist still does not stop playing with international structures and again has the audacity to convene the UN Security Council to discuss its own provocations, its own terror at the Zaporizhzhia AES...

I am grateful to all European politicians who do not forget that an eighth sanctions package against Russia is needed. The longer the interval between sanction packages, the more brazen Russia becomes. And I am grateful to all our friends, all friends of freedom in different countries around the world, who are pushing for recognizing objective reality and legally defining Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. This decision will come - sooner or later, and the question is only how many more lives Russia can take before the response from the international community becomes truly felt by those responsible for this terror.

And dear Ukrainians, especially on these days when we celebrate our flag day and independence day, if you are somewhere abroad, please remind people there about Ukraine, be there with the Ukrainian flag and spread the truth about occupiers' crimes.

Let's stay together no matter where Ukrainians are!

Glory to all who defend the state!

Thank you to everyone fighting for Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!"