President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation, informing about important phone calls with the Prime Minister of Norway and the President of France as well as a meeting with our country's Minister of Defense.

"Dear Ukrainians,

In Zaporizhzhia, rescue operations are ongoing at the site of a Russian missile strike. Part of a civilian residential building was destroyed – floors from the third to fifth in one entrance. As of now, five people have died. My condolences go out to their loved ones and relatives. Another five individuals were injured; they are receiving necessary assistance. I am grateful to everyone working at the scene and supporting people: DSNSS, medical workers, our police, communal services.

And I thank all of our soldiers who strike the occupier and thus restore justice for Ukraine. This is the foundation of existence of our state – destroying the enemy and thereby protecting people. The more successful our soldiers are, the more progress there will be on the front lines, the greater losses the Russian troops will suffer, the sooner we will be able to bring security back to all our cities and villages. To every community – from Sumy Oblast to Zaporizhzhia Oblast, from Orikhiv to any other city of our state.

Today I held important phone calls with the Prime Minister of Norway and the President of France. Among other things, we discussed what is happening on the battlefield, support for our soldiers, defense cooperation, work of 'grain corridors' in the Black Sea. This is important not only for our country but also for the entire world, for global stability. Special attention was given to strengthening air defense and enhancing our long-range capabilities, as well as our strength at sea.

We also discussed with the Prime Minister of Norway starting work on security guarantees based on a corresponding declaration from 'The Big Seven'. I invited Norway to participate in the next meeting regarding the Peace Formula. With President of France we talked about further cooperation at EU level – both political work for opening negotiations on membership, and macrofinance for Ukraine. I also invited both Norway and France to take part in our summit on food security and humanitarian initiative 'Grain from Ukraine', which will take place next month.

It is important that we agree on the situation assessment in the Middle East. We discussed this with Emmanuel as well as with Mr. Prime Minister of Norway. This is a principle matter – to prevent any further escalation in the Middle East and save as many lives as possible. All sides must care for civilians – women and children who find themselves in zones of combat and shelling. It would be one of the worst scenarios if the number of victims continues to increase. And we need to prevent such a scenario.

I met with a delegation from Romania's government. Today there was a joint meeting of our governments. This is yet another significant step towards strategic partnership between Ukraine and Romania. Our cooperation, our formats of interaction – this is a new force for the entire Black Sea region. For security, economic development, infrastructure construction. And I am grateful to our Romanian partners for the substantive nature of our work.

And one more important thing today.

I held a meeting with Ukraine's Minister of Defense – he presented his team and program. The composition of the ministry has been renewed. Already there are first steps to address those issues that were discussed by military personnel. Reducing bureaucracy, simplifying paperwork, all procedures, freeing up commanders' time for combat work instead of paper work. There will be more digitalization and clarity in supplying troops. There should also be greater readiness for feedback from the military and overcoming accumulated problems. I thank everyone in the state system who works for Ukraine's interests so that there is a result every day. Every day – more strength for Ukraine.

Glory to all who defend our country! Glory to our strong people!

Glory to Ukraine!"