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[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio]

Greetings, Washington!

Today is the hundredth day of Russia's full-scale war against us, against Ukraine.

I want to tell you a story so that you understand what this war means to us.

I want to tell you about Svitlana Klymenko, a nurse at a hospital in the town of Ivankiv, near our capital.

On February 24, the first day of Russian invasion, Svitlana lost her husband.

He worked as a paramedic and went out on a call in the area where Russian troops tried to advance on Kyiv. Since then, the first day of the war, he has been regarded as missing.

The war also took -- took away Svitlana's other closest person, her son. He perished in Mariupol.

Svitlana spent over a month under occupation until her town, Ivankiv, was liberated from Russian occupiers. Despite the pain of loss, she didn’t give up.

She was doing her job, just her job. Throughout the occupation, she worked at Ivankiv hospital and helped to save people.

When I met her recently, she told me that it had been this work that had helped her make it through this. Saving others became her own life’s purpose.

Svitlana continues working to this day, like thousands of doctors and nurses who have been rescuing people since February 24: children, women, and the elderly -- because Russia doesn't spare anyone.

We must do everything we can to support them so that they have something and somewhere to treat patients, and where to treat them, as well as armored ambulances safe from Russian troops, who are shooting them.

The Russian army is ruthless. They are not only trying to kill as many people as possible but also to destroy all the infrastructure required for living: bridges and roads, houses and hospitals, schools and factories; burned-out cities, universities, and maternity hospitals, destroyed by missiles.

Ruins are all that is left behind by the Russians.

But people -- people need to have somewhere to return.

Right now.

Today.

That is the reason I initiated the special United24 platform. It's not just fundraising. It's also one of the ways to prove to Russia that evil will not win. Thousands of wounded need help. Thousands of objects need to be restored.

Ladies and gentlemen, you can join in.

How -- is entirely up to you. Rebuild the bridge to Irpin, whose photos have attracted worldwide attention. Or buy medical equipment that will help Svitlana Klymenko and her colleagues save many, many lives.

Your help will be transferred fast and used as effectively and transparently as possible.

We guarantee that, thanks to these donations, your names will forever go down in the history of Ukraine, the history of defending freedom and democracy.

Please, join United24 today.

Thank you. Thanks, everyone.

Glory to Ukraine!

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Original Text Source: president.gov.ua/en

Flag of Ukraine Source: goodfreephotos.com/ukraine/other--ukraine/flag--of--ukraine.jpg.php

Page Created: 6/5/22

U.S. Copyright Status: Text = Used in compliance with the terms found here and licensed under CC 4.0 International. Flag of Ukraine = Public domain. Audio = Uncertain.