Zelenskyy has promised free meals for all schoolchildren starting September 1
Starting September 1, Ukraine plans to introduce free hot meals for all schoolchildren, which is expected to be one of the key social changes in the new school year. The decision is linked to supporting children and communities during a difficult period, as the state seeks to simultaneously strengthen education and security. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this on Telegram following a meeting with community leaders from Rivne, Volyn, and Zhytomyr regions.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that starting September 1, free hot meals must be provided to all schoolchildren in the country, and this is a clear directive to the government following his meeting with community leaders from Rivne, Volyn, and Zhytomyr regions.
Special attention during the conversation was given to supporting education and children, as these areas specifically require systematic modernization and stable funding. “We discussed support for education and children separately. A clear task for government officials is to ensure free hot meals for all schoolchildren starting September 1,” Zelenskyy noted.
According to him, at the same time, the government must address the construction of new schools, the completion of projects already underway prior to the full-scale invasion, and the development of infrastructure in communities with high birth rates, so that educational institutions can fully accommodate all students.
They also discussed providing schools with school buses, which should make it easier for children to access education, especially in rural and remote areas where transportation remains difficult. Road repairs were another focus of the meeting, and the president emphasized that the government has been instructed to speed up this work, as infrastructure directly impacts both education and the local economy.
At the same time, a significant portion of the discussion was devoted to the security situation in the north, where, according to Zelenskyy, Ukraine must remain as prepared as possible for any scenario.
The President emphasized that the country must strengthen its defense capabilities, build fortifications, and maintain the readiness of its defense forces, as this is a key priority under current conditions. “I am grateful to every community for their resilience and for finding solutions to develop and protect your people under such difficult conditions,” Zelenskyy added, thanking regional leaders for their work amid the war.
Ukraine has rejected the idea of “associated” EU membership without voting rights, which had been discussed in European political circles. Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that such a format is unfair and does not correspond to Ukraine’s role in European security.
The European Union has moved to the practical stage of preparing Montenegro’s accession treaty. The country continues on its path toward EU integration and has declared its intention to become a member by 2028.
Ukraine hopes that the European Union will open all six negotiation chapters on the country’s accession this year and anticipates the possibility of closing at least one of them by the end of the year.
Ukraine may temporarily forego some of the benefits of EU membership to accelerate the accession process. Taras Kachka noted that such a step would help the country integrate into the EU more quickly.
