President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation, speaking about the tense situation surrounding the export grain initiative and new needs that have arisen for us due to Russian missile terror.

"I wish you good health, dear Ukrainians!

Today I chaired a new meeting of the Supreme Commander's Staff. The main points on the agenda are entirely clear: defending our skies from enemy missiles and drones, protecting infrastructure objects, undermining the positions of the occupiers, advancing our forces, and everything necessary to support the army. Military representatives, intelligence services, and ministers reported.

Every day we are getting closer to the results that Ukraine needs both on land and in the air. We are also working towards achieving the necessary results at sea.

These weeks have seen an increasingly tense situation around the export grain initiative. The enemy is doing everything possible to hinder our food exports. I believe that with these actions, Russia is deliberately stoking a food crisis so that it becomes as acute as it was in the first half of this year.

Today over 150 ships are waiting in line to fulfill contractual obligations for supplying our agricultural products. This is an artificial queue. It has arisen solely because Russia deliberately delays the passage of vessels.

Each day that ships with food remain in the queue means increasing social and political tension in countries consuming our agricultural products. Here are just some of the states where the export of food is being delayed due to Russia's actions: Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Iraq, China, Bangladesh, Indonesia. Our partners—the UN, Turkey, and others—are fully informed about this situation.

During our grain initiative's operation, due to Russian obstruction, we have failed to export nearly 3 million tons of food. And that is the annual consumption for 10 million people.

Russia is doing everything possible to make hundreds of thousands of these people become forced migrants seeking refuge in Turkey or EU countries or dying from hunger. We and our partners must do everything we can to ensure not only that the grain initiative survives but also operates at 100% capacity.

The right to food and life without hunger is a fundamental right for every person on Earth. And so, Russian attempts to exacerbate the food crisis are an aggression against everyone on Earth.

Today I met with representatives of the US Congress who have come to Kyiv. I thanked them for their consistent bipartisan support and for the extraordinary efforts that America is making to help us defend freedom. We discussed key issues today—anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense. We also talked about financial support, our political interaction, what new anti-European and anti-democratic steps we should expect from Russia and its terror partners, and touched on the topic of Iranian supplies for Russian terror.

Today this terror against our infrastructure and energy will be discussed at the UN Security Council. The meeting was called at our country's request and will take place at 10 PM.

I met with the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. I thanked her for the help and informed about new needs that have arisen due to Russian terror. EBRD is already providing financial support to "Ukrenergo," has all the data on what steps we need to take to restore energy and social infrastructure, and build housing for Ukrainians.

We agreed on positions ahead of a conference about rebuilding our country that will take place in Germany on October 25th.

Today throughout the day air alarms were declared in most regions of Ukraine. There are new shoot-downs of drones and enemy aircraft.

Active combat operations continue in eastern and southern Ukraine. Our armed forces maintain the initiative.

I want to commend today soldiers of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade for their skillful and well-thought-out actions in destroying the enemy on the Eastern front.

Thank you also to soldiers of the 60th Separate Infantry Brigade, whose units have shown good results in Kherson. Since the beginning of October, "Sixty" fighters have captured over 30 pieces of Russian armored equipment, a thousand tank shells, and three D-20 howitzers. All this weaponry will definitely help liberate our land.

I also thank soldiers of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Yakov Hanych for their excellent results in destroying enemy equipment and ammunition this week.

Also, I thank the soldiers of the 35th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mikhail Ostrogradsky for their steadfastness in defending occupied positions.

And one more thing. Today the government adopted an important decision concerning tens of thousands of Ukrainian students. Those whose homes are on temporarily occupied territory or near the front lines, as well as children of fallen defenders and defenders of Ukraine, and members of families of those participating in combat operations will be transferred from contract to budgetary forms of education at our universities and colleges. The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine is set to publish details about this decision.

I thank everyone who fights and works for the sake of our country!

Thank you each and every one who brings us closer to Ukraine's victory!

Glory to our best people!

Glory to Ukraine!"