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Category: Attack on Ukraine

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech at the 34th Award Ceremony of the National Constitution Center

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech at the 34th Award Ceremony of the National Constitution Center

    The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 8 November 2022.

    Dear Friends!

    It is a great honor to be awarded with the Medal of Liberty, presented to me by senators Chris Coons and Rob Portman during their visit to Kyiv.

    This award really demonstrates how and what Ukrainian people are fighting for. Liberty is the main word for us and what really unites all Ukrainians.

    As in any democratic society, Ukrainians have different views on life and politics. As the case was in previous years, we felt divided arguing whether we would ever be able to stand together.

    But when Russia decided to destroy our freedom and wipe Ukraine off the face of the earth, we immediately got united and we keep this unity.

    All divisions are put aside. There is no place for political conflicts. Because when there is a mortal threat to freedom, everything else is not important.

    Millions of people are fighting and working to protect Ukraine. They are very different people. After the Russian full-scale invasion started, they all decided – “we are here” and we will never give up our freedom.

    And I believe that this Liberty Medal is for all men and women of Ukraine who, after the 24th of February, showed to the world’s largest autocracy that only defeat is what it can win in Ukraine.

    These are our soldiers and officers. This is a massive wave of our volunteers – those who provide our defenders with everything they need. These are farmers who stopped Russian armored vehicles on the roads to their communities and helped the Army. These are IT specialists, who build defense against Russian cyberattacks. These are companies that work despite constant Russian terror and keep jobs for Ukrainians. These are doctors who help always everywhere. These are school teachers and university professors who can read lectures even in bomb shelters and distantly from the trenches on the front lines, but they do not give up and teach children – teach them to believe in themselves, in freedom and in Ukraine.

    In less than nine months, more than thirty thousand Ukrainians have been honored state awards for their contribution to our national defense.

    First of all, they are our heroic soldiers. These are rescuers who do away with the effects of Russian shelling. These are energy workers who return electricity to people after Russian missiles and Iranian drones hit power plants – Russia wants to leave millions of our people without energy in the winter. These are transport workers who supply our defense, economy and communities. These are different people of various jobs who are all equally fight against the invasion.

    However, this Liberty Medal is an award not only for our people.

    When this war began, Ukraine heard something very important from the world – we heard that “the democracies are here.” And we see now what democracies are capable of when they act in unity.

    Every potential aggressor in the world sees the help that the United States and the free world is providing to us, and all the sanctions imposed against Russia – sees and believes that it is better not to start a war against freedom at all. In fact, this is one of the greatest contributions to the global peace and security during our lifetime.

    Together with our partners, we are developing a new security architecture – these are security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe which will not only re-empower the principles of the UN Charter, but will also become a model for nations in other parts of the world – a model to avoid new cruel wars.

    And that is why, I believe that this Liberty Medal is also to all friends of freedom in the United States and other countries. To all those, who are helping us to restore our territorial integrity, and thus to restore peace.

    This Liberty Medal is to those who support us with weapons, air defense systems, finance and diplomacy. To those who are helping to rebuild after the Russian strikes. To those who impose sanctions against Russia and its accomplices such as the Iranian regime.

    When after the beginning of the Russian invasion, I said – “the president is here”, when millions of Ukrainians decided at the same time – “we are here” and we will not surrender, and when the world supported us, saying – “democracies are here”, then it meant and still mean – “freedom is here “, “human dignity is here”, “law is here”. And one day it will definitely mean – “peace is here”.

    I call on you to maintain unwavering unity, as it is now, until that very day when we all hear those important words we have been dreaming of… Until we hear that peace has finally been restored. Democracies must not stop on their way to the victory.

    I thank you for your attention!

    Thank you for your support – President Biden, both parties of the Congress, and every American citizen! Please know that you support not just a country or its leader, you support millions of people who, like you, cherish freedom.

    And I decided to send the prize money of our Liberty Medal to help Ukrainian veterans – to rebuild and modernize the rehabilitation center for veterans in the city of Borodyanka, Kyiv region of Ukraine. Let everything bring our victory closer!

    Слава Україні!

  • Rishi Sunak – 2022 Comments in Indonesia Ahead of G20 Meeting

    Rishi Sunak – 2022 Comments in Indonesia Ahead of G20 Meeting

    The comments made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 14 November 2022.

    There can be no normalisation of Putin’s behaviour, which has no place in the international community.

    Russia’s actions put all of us at risk. As we give the Ukrainian people the support they need, we are also harnessing the breadth and depth of UK expertise to protect ourselves and our allies. This includes building the next generation of British warships.

    Putin and his proxies will never have a legitimate seat at the table until they end their illegal war in Ukraine. At the G20, the Putin regime – which has stifled domestic dissent and fabricated a veneer of validity only through violence – will hear the chorus of global opposition to its actions.

  • James Cleverly – 2022 Comments on Continued Support for Ukraine

    James Cleverly – 2022 Comments on Continued Support for Ukraine

    The comments made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, on 14 November 2022.

    Russia’s attacks on vital infrastructure show that Putin is resorting to desperate measures. But even in the face of missile attacks and blackouts, the resolve of the Ukrainian people remains unbroken.

    The Government of Ukraine said it needed specialised energy equipment to repair critical national infrastructure, and the UK is delivering on their request.

    The UK has made the largest donation to date to this Fund. We need all partners to step up their support and show Putin that his attempts to destroy Ukraine will be met with fierce resistance.

  • Ursula von der Leyen – 2022 Speech at the Berlin Process Summit for the Western Balkans

    Ursula von der Leyen – 2022 Speech at the Berlin Process Summit for the Western Balkans

    The speech made by Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on 3 November 2022.

    Indeed, we had a very good meeting today. And with Albania in the driving seat for next year, I know that the Berlin Process continues to be in very good hands. Our aim is very clear: It is the aim to bring our Western Balkan partners as close as possible, as fast as possible. And here we have two tracks: One track of work is of course the accession process. There, we have made good progress. The Commission has put enlargement back on the table, from the very first day of my mandate. We have been securing agreement on a new enlargement methodology that opened up ways, not only to unblock decisions – that was very important – but it also brought back credibility to the whole process. Then, we have put on the table a substantive Economic and Investment Plan. It brings EUR 30 billion of investment to the region, which is overall approximately one-third of the GDP of the whole region.

    In addition, last year, we had an Intergovernmental Conference with Montenegro. We opened one cluster with Serbia. And this year, we were very happy that we finally managed to have the first Intergovernmental Conference with Albania and North Macedonia and started the screening process. And we made the proposal to Council to give Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate status. I must say, this progress, which is good progress, dear Edi Rama, was possible because of the progress made in the Western Balkan countries themselves, so it is your success.

    Indeed, a second track of action is the Berlin Process. And here, the goal is to deepen our economic integration. And yes, we are facing manifold challenges, first and foremost Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that marks a geopolitical shift on our continent. But the longer the Russian war lasts, the more determined we are to stand together and to withstand. We know that our investments in the Western Balkans are not only important for a conducive business environment – this is also the case – but we also know that these investments are investments for peace, stability and prosperity of Europe as a whole.

    Against this backdrop, indeed, we discussed in depth the knock-on effects of the Russian war on energy. Therefore, today’s declaration on energy security and the green agenda for the Western Balkans marks a very important step. As the Chancellor already said, we are united in the goal of climate neutrality by 2050 and our climate targets by 2030. If we look at the immediate crisis, it is important that we synchronise our steps. We are in an energy community. Therefore, in the short term, this means for all of us: diversification of energy sources, the reduction of our dependency on Russian fossil fuels, and to keep energy prices in check with joint action.

    But we are also aware of the fact that unprecedented crises demand or need unprecedented steps and action. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that the Commission will put forward a substantial energy support package for the Western Balkans. It is EUR 1 billion in grants and it has two different parts. The first part is EUR 500 million in grants as a very immediate financial support for the six Western Balkan countries to put them in a position for the very short term to support vulnerable households and vulnerable businesses. This budget support will be adopted in December and available in January – in other ways: very shortly. The second part, the other EUR 500 million in grants, will be dedicated to investments in energy infrastructure. These are mainly investments in gas and electricity interconnectors to really have a common grid and interconnection in the region with the European Union. Very important is the emphasis on investments in renewable energy – because this gives us independence, it is clean energy and it creates good jobs at home – and, of course, energy efficiency measures.

    In addition, we will strengthen the security of supply by improving and facilitating the access in each other’s energy pipelines and storages. This is for the emergency. So that in case somebody is in trouble, there is solidarity from all of us. And the European Union and the Western Balkans will harmonise their crisis and emergency plans and measures, in a spirit of solidarity and increased neutral resilience. Finally, we are also inviting our partners from the Western Balkans to join us in our European attempt to have a joint procurement platform, so really to develop the strong market power we have if we stick together.

    And this brings me to the second point, the regional integration. That is the development of the common regional market. It is for us a very important stepping stone towards the EU Single Market. Indeed, in this regard, I welcome today’s signature of three very important agreements. The freedom of movement is key to both. It is of course key to the development of the common regional market, but it is also key to the integration of the Western Balkans in the European Single Market. It is about the people – be it students, be it professionals. They will bring the region forward.

    Therefore, the agreement is so important for 18 million people to move freely within the region. Professionals can tap their full potential, regardless of where they work. The professional qualifications – be it of skilled workers, students, researchers, medical doctors, dentists or architects – will all be recognised throughout the Western Balkans. Very important is also that the national ID cards will be accepted at every border. These measures will not only boost intra-regional travel in the Western Balkans, but it will also strengthen personal and cultural bonds between the people of the region. In the very end, it is always the same good old story that has always been at the heart of the European project. It is enhanced cooperation and harmonisation that bring peace and prosperity to all. We should use every opportunity to get closer with our Western Balkan friends.

    Thank you, once more, for a very good Berlin Process.

  • James Cleverly – 2022 Statement on the International Atomic Energy Agency Report

    James Cleverly – 2022 Statement on the International Atomic Energy Agency Report

    The statement made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, on 3 November 2022.

    Russia has a history of making false claims to provide cover for its own actions; the world can see through this attempt to use false allegations as a pretext for escalation. Russia needs to de-escalate, starting by ceasing its assault on Ukraine and withdrawing its forces.

    I welcome the transparent approach Ukraine has taken by inviting the IAEA to put Russia’s claims under independent scrutiny. Their findings show there is no evidence of undeclared nuclear activities by Ukraine.

    The UK remains committed to supporting Ukraine’s efforts to defend its territory for as long as it takes.

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech to the International Bar Association (IBA)

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech to the International Bar Association (IBA)

    The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 31 October 2022.

    Ladies and Gentlemen! Dear defenders of the law and human rights!

    Greetings to all of you – participants of the International Bar Association meeting and thank you for your attention to the Ukrainian struggle for freedom.

    This year, your Association celebrated its 75th anniversary. It was on February 17 – a week before the terrible Russian invasion of Ukraine, which undermines the long-term achievements of humanity in the protection of international law and order and peace.

    This ongoing war in Ukraine has long had echoes in all other parts of the world.

    Somewhere there are waves of refugees. Somewhere there is a threat of large-scale famine due to the artificial food crisis provoked by Russia. Somewhere there is a brutal cost-of-living crisis that drives millions of people into poverty and destroys the well-being of the middle class even where Russia cannot reach with its aggression.

    And somewhere there are the toughest possible things. This is happening in Ukraine. Artillery shelling of our cities – hundreds of Ukrainian cities were destroyed, dozens – completely burned. Constant missile and bomb terror. Iranian combat drones that Russia is using against our infrastructure.

    Millions of Ukrainians suffered losses from this war unleashed by Russia – they lost loved ones, friends, their homes. At least tens of thousands of Ukrainians have already been killed.

    Of course, we are doing everything to protect our people and oust the Russian invaders from Ukrainian land as soon as possible. We are doing everything to restore freedom to all Ukrainians in all corners of our country. And I believe that we will do it – thanks to our heroic defenders, thanks to everyone who fights and works for the victory of Ukraine.

    Very powerful assistance is provided by our partners – and I am especially grateful to the United States of America for its leadership in the global coalition formed this year to protect Ukraine and freedom.

    But I would like to draw attention to the fact that lawyers will put an end to this war – after the military, after politicians. Exactly lawyers.

    Those who will ensure that all those guilty of terror are brought to justice and that all damages caused by Russia are compensated – at the expense of the assets of the aggressor state itself.

    It is this kind of justice that should be the end of the evil that Russia has brought.

    Behind every of four and a half thousand Russian missiles there are people who are responsible for the deaths and losses that those missiles have caused. Behind every mass burial of the victims of Russian torturers, there are savages who are guilty of these murders. Behind every manifestation of Russian aggression there are those who planned it, organized it, justified it and prevented its termination.

    We have already started working to establish a Special Tribunal to punish Russia for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. This tribunal will happen. We are already cooperating with the United States, with European countries, with the International Criminal Court to punish all Russian murderers and torturers.

    We have already started the creation of the Compensation Mechanism, which will ensure the confiscation and channeling of Russian assets to compensate for the losses caused by this war.

    And I invite you to join this work!

    This is an opportunity for each of you to help people who have become innocent victims of war as specifically as possible. This is a chance for each of you to become part of the multi-generational global effort to establish the force of international law.

    Perhaps, right now in this hall, among you, there are those whose names will soon be inscribed in the world history of the protection of freedom and law and order – for all people, for all countries, for all times.

    I thank you for the already started cooperation of your Association with the Ukrainian Office of the Prosecutor General and for your initiatives that help us fight for justice for all the victims of this Russian terrorist war.

    I urge you to be active in the future!

    Together we can prove that the law is effective, that the law works, that every war crime will be investigated, and every war criminal will be brought to justice.

    Thank you for your attention! Long live freedom and let justice prevail!

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech to US senators and the Yale Community

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech to US senators and the Yale Community

    The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 29 October 2022.

    Thank you so much to everybody for the support! Thank you for the honor of addressing you today.

    Dear Mr. Rector!

    Dear Senators! I also know you well. Thank you for being with us, supporting us in Kyiv.

    Thank you to the honorable professorial team and students!

    Dear friends!

    I am glad to welcome you all and thank you for your attention to Ukraine!

    I watched this video, a beautiful video made with heart and soul. Beautiful, but at the same time very tragic. You have seen everything and there is nothing to talk about. I think we will be able to discuss and assess this and the details in the questions and answers part of our discussion. However, I also have a short video. I think it will be helpful too.

    We still have a question-and-answer session ahead of us, so I will try not to waste a lot of time so that as many people as possible can express their thoughts today.

    You probably all know what is happening in Ukraine and what a brutal war Russia is waging against us. Tough and cruel.

    By the way, thanks to the fact that Professor Timothy Snyder works at your university – a very remarkable individual, an outstanding historian – you can easily find out absolutely all the details about why Russia acts in the way it does and why it started acting like that from Ukraine.

    I will describe the situation in general. For Russia, this is a war not only to seize our land. And not only for breaking our independent statehood, spreading its imperial influence. It’s a bit more.

    With its terror, Russia is trying to destroy what is constantly reborn in our people despite the wars that have taken place, despite the invaders who came here, and even despite the Kremlin’s policy of genocide against Ukrainians, which was implemented in the 20th century. And one of its manifestations was, in particular, the Holodomor – the destruction of people by artificially organized hunger.

    Ukrainians went through very terrible things and still preserved their ability not to obey, their love of freedom and inner confidence that the source of any power on earth is the people. Not a royal throne, not power, not wealth, but people. And it is very important that Ukraine has the potential to protect this fundamental democratic spirit. Protect not only for itself, but also for other peoples in our part of the world.

    This is where the front line is. And not only for Ukraine!

    It’s the royal throne against freedom. The army is made up of those who have been deprived of any freedom during the years of the rule of this Russian leadership, against the defense forces made up of those who know for sure that everyone’s freedom makes everyone stronger.

    Look even at how we differ on the battlefield in Ukraine now.

    For us, this is a people’s war for freedom, and each of the Ukrainian military units has guardian angels in the rear – people who help with everything that may be necessary for our soldiers. We constantly feel this direct connection between the defense forces and society.

    Do you see something similar in Russia? It is not there. Their people feel a direct connection except with television propaganda of hatred.

    Our commanders on the battlefield have the freedom to make their own decisions in general defense operations and use that freedom to decide how to operate more effectively at one point or another.

    Instead, Russian commanders tremble, waiting for orders from above from those who have never seen a battlefield in their lives, and sometimes spend months trying to fulfill orders that are hopeless from the start, simply wasting people’s lives, sending them to their deaths, wave after wave.

    Our defense forces are immediately followed by sappers, rescuers, repair crews, energy workers and all those who have to restore normal life to people. And what does the Russian flag bring to the land where it was erected? Mass graves, torture camps, deportations, filtration camps and total looting.

    Imagine: Russian occupiers remove Ukrainian books from libraries and destroy them. Everything that can remind of Ukraine is being destroyed in schools as well.

    Already 51 Ukrainian universities have been hit by Russian missiles and artillery!

    At checkpoints and infiltration camps, Russian soldiers force people to undress to reveal whether they have Ukrainian patriotic tattoos. Even the simple presence of Ukrainian national symbols on the body or, for example, a yellow-blue ribbon on a backpack is a sufficient reason for the Russian military to detain, torture or kill a person. And thousands of such cases have been recorded.

    Why is this happening?

    Because Ukrainian is a target for Russia. Russia is fighting against freedom, destroying Ukrainian and Ukrainians. This is exactly how they see it in the Kremlin – the destruction of the people, and therefore of freedom. They do not believe that it is possible to conquer Ukraine in any other way. And that is why, for example, they went to Iran for weapons, for killer drones and missiles, because Russia lacks its own means of terror, and it simply does not have anything else in its plans or thoughts.

    Take a look at what the Iranian drones purchased by Russia are sent. They are sent against what enables the people to live: against power plants, boiler houses, transport, even houses. They want to destroy everything Ukrainian, they hate the entire Ukraine – our every manifestation.

    And this is precisely the strategic threat of Russian aggression. Because according to Ukrainianness, Russia will go to destroy Polish or Georgian life in the same way – that is, the life of other nations on a huge territory – from the countries of Northern Europe to Kazakhstan.
    And that is why we say that it is important for the whole world that Russia loses now – in the war in Ukraine. When we win for ourselves, we will win for other nations whose freedom is potentially under attack: the ambitions of the Russian throne are known.

    And so that all this does not sound too general, I ask you to watch one video. Video about what we will save Ukraine and other nations of our part of the world from, when we expel the Russian invaders from Ukraine and achieve security guarantees for all of us.

    This was a picture of our survival under Russian terrorist attacks only during October. And this full-scale war has been going on for nine months.

    Dear friends!

    On behalf of the Ukrainian people, I want to thank your people for the support you provide to our defense. Thank you to your leaders – President Biden, both chambers and parties of Congress, public figures and businesses who feel how important it is for Ukrainian democracy to endure.

    I am sure Russia has no chance of winning this war and destroying us and any other nation in our part of the world. But the sooner we stop Russia, the more certain our cooperation will be.

    The more Russian threats, the more our cooperation should be. And the more Russian escalating steps, the more our steps should be in response to defend freedom and people.

    We cannot slow down the momentum in cooperation and give Russia even the slightest hope that its terror can work. Right now, and precisely in Ukraine, it is being decided whether our part of the world will be free and democratic. Ultimately, this is how the global fate of democracy will be determined.

    This fate should be determined by you and us – the free world, not Russia and its accomplices. I believe that it will be so!

    Thanks again for your attention!

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech at the First Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech at the First Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform

    The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 25 October 2022.

    Ladies and Gentlemen!

    I thank you for participating in the first parliamentary summit of the Crimea Platform!

    I am grateful to our Croatian friends for hosting, thank you, Ruslan, for a strong start!

    Thank you all for your kind words about Ukraine and the Ukrainian Crimea, where we will definitely meet again – very soon, I’m sure of it. At the summit of the Crimea Platform, which will mean the restoration of peace on our continent.

    Peace is what brought us together. What we value. What we strive for and what we cooperate for in different formats and at different levels.

    Peace… What we all lost in 2014 when Russia started its insane aggression. Started with Crimea.

    After more than eight years of Putin’s war, there are no countries left in the world that would not feel its consequences. It affected everyone – in one way or another.

    The world is counting losses.

    What did the Russian enslavement of Crimea lead to, if you look at it from the present day? It was a prologue to a full-scale war that would take the lives of thousands and thousands of people.

    It was the birth of an anti-human system that tortures, deprives of freedom and injures men, women and children without distinction of age, sex, religion or ethnicity. This was the beginning of the most dangerous chaos in international relations over the lifetime of several generations.

    All of this was brought by the Russian flag to Crimea and all this is spreading further to the world from the occupied Crimea.

    The world has become a much more violent place. A place where Russia easily provokes a large-scale famine, as due to its criminal control over Crimea, it has destroyed the freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and can at any moment block our food exports – vital for the world market.

    The world has become a place where Russia easily and with impunity destroys hopes for stability, for example, in the Middle East and North Africa, because it keeps Crimea as a strategic military base for criminal interference in the situation in these regions.

    The world has become a place where Russian nuclear blackmail is, unfortunately, commonplace, because this state, in order to keep the stolen territory, threatens the entire humanity with catastrophe.

    The Russian leadership is trying very hard to show that all this is from 2014 and forever.

    But that is why we are together so that the brutality and chaos brought by Russia will be truly temporary. Temporary, like the Russian occupation of Crimea.

    It all started with it. Its return will mean the restoration of true peace. Because the Russian potential for aggression will be completely destroyed when the Ukrainian flag will be back in its rightful place – in the cities and villages of Crimea.

    Crimea must be freed from its use by Russia as a bridgehead.

    Then the world will feel that there will be no more losses. And people will feel that the world is becoming safer.

    Two years ago, when we founded the Crimea Platform, we envisioned a constant expansion of its format. And I’m very happy to see the platform develop in this way.

    First there was the level of the leaders of the states. Now – the level of legislators and government officials, public figures and experts. And this second level is no less powerful than the initial one. As it makes it possible to attract the democratic power of our societies to respond to each of the challenges that have already been provoked by the Russian occupation of Crimea and that will inevitably arise when it is returned to the legal control of Ukraine.

    Modern active generations do not yet have the experience of returning such a special territory from the invader to its native state. After all, the ninth year of Russian enslavement continues…

    The ninth year of Russia’s destruction of the entire international law, all normal economic, social and cultural ties for Crimea. This is what it is now.

    Crimea is separated by Russia from the very possibility of a normal life.

    On the territory of Crimea, the occupiers not only committed thousands of crimes… Since 2014, Crimea is the only part of Europe where de facto purges continue – on religious and ethnic grounds. If you are a Muslim, the Russian occupiers consider you guilty. If you are a qırımlı, the Russian occupiers consider you guilty. If you have a Ukrainian passport, the Russian occupiers consider you guilty. Think about it again: people have been living in such conditions for the ninth year already!

    And also there is constant Russian militarization of Crimea. And also there is constant deliberate destruction of the Crimean nature by the occupiers. And also there is total lack of guarantees of property rights in Crimea and the looting of Crimea in the interests of the invaders.

    It will not be easy to reintegrate Crimea after years of such occupation. But due to cooperation, we will manage to ensure this as well. We will change the situation completely.

    The return of the Ukrainian flag to Crimea is the return of the normality familiar to all Europeans, as it is available in each of your countries. Security normality, economic, legal, social, cultural.

    The return of the Ukrainian flag is the arrival of the European Union on the peninsula. In the full sense of these words. All levels of our integration: trade – this is a huge market, investment – these are huge opportunities for development. All this is simply not available in Crimea now. And it cannot be available – Russia has deprived our peninsula of markets and development.

    The return of the Ukrainian flag is the protection of human rights, it is freedom for all people in Crimea, for all communities – ethnic or religious. It is an opportunity to freely speak your mind and spread the truth about what is happening. It is available everywhere on our continent – from the Atlantic to the Kharkiv region. And it will be available in Crimea.

    We are already getting closer – every day.

    And I have just taken part in the work of the Berlin conference on the recovery of Ukraine. Already now, when the war is still going on, and the recovery after our victory. The restoration of our Crimea is being discussed along with the restoration of the whole of Ukraine as an integral part of the valuable, infrastructural, investment and cultural space of the whole of Europe.

    And we need three things now.

    At this time, when the restoration of our territorial integrity is still ongoing, sufficient and timely support for our state is needed. Defense, financial and sanctions.

    I urge you to advocate such support for Ukraine, to constantly strengthen it – it is the foundation of future peace.

    Then, when we reach our legal state borders and return Crimea in particular, we will need your experience: security, political, legal, economic, social, infrastructural.

    In order to return full life to Crimea after years of occupation, and justice to the people of Crimea, our cooperation must be maintained at a maximum even after the restoration of our territorial integrity.

    We should make this format of ours, the format of the Crimea Platform, a starting point for other humanitarian and diplomatic platforms that will promote the de-occupation of other territories that were once enslaved: from Transnistria and Abkhazia to the northern territories.

    And the third… This is very important.

    I ask you to promise me that you will definitely visit our Ukrainian Crimea, liberated from the occupiers and peaceful. As soon as we return our national flag there.

    This part of Europe has been waiting for distinguished guests for too long.

    Thank you for your attention! Thank you for your support! Thanks again to Croatia as the host country for our summit. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister Plenković – I am glad to see and hear you – and Mr. Speaker Jandroković for your hospitality.

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech at the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction and Modernisation of Ukraine

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech at the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction and Modernisation of Ukraine

    The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 25 October 2022.

    Good afternoon, dear friends!

    I congratulate you on behalf of the Ukrainian people! And thank you for this conference, which brings the return of normal life to our country closer.

    I have now heard the speech of Mr. Chancellor and I have also heard Distinguished Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen. And then I looked at my speech and realized that we could have exchanged speeches and nothing would have changed. And that’s not bad. This means that we see the future of Europe, security, the world, and the future of Ukraine in approximately the same way. But I would like to dwell on some priorities.

    First of all, I would like to note your words, Mr. Chancellor, which were spoken yesterday. You said that whoever invests in the restoration of Ukraine invests in a future member of the European Union. These are very important words. Significant ones. I believe that they will be heard by all Europeans and global economic players.

    Your words fully reflect the meaning of our conference and the entire cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union, our country and your countries. We become one – and this is irreversible. A united, strong, free and values-based Europe. Peaceful Europe! This is possible only with Ukraine.

    I would also like to immediately thank you, Mrs. President of the European Commission, for your sincere and consistent support of our country.

    I know that you, Mrs. Ursula, share this opinion of Mr. Chancellor regarding the future membership of Ukraine. And I am sure that together with you and all our friends in the European Union, we will soon realize the vision of the majority of Europeans – the vast majority in all EU countries. The vision of Ukraine as part of the EU.

    Now we have reached the level in relations that Ukraine has long deserved. The importance and scale of our country is being realized. People know what we can give to our common European home. People see what we already give. And all of you – participants of the Conference – know very well what we can give.

    Ukraine is the physical security of Europe against any new attack of Russian tyranny. It is Ukraine that can guarantee and will guarantee that Russian revanchism will not break our European home.

    Ukraine is the energy security of Europe – and not only of our neighbors. When we free our entire territory from Russian invaders, the European Union will be able to replace dirty Russian energy resources with our help. And our export of electricity – potentially tens of gigawatts – will be one of the fundamental pillars of European climate policy.

    Ukraine is already a guarantor of world food security. And therefore, we also guarantee the predictability of migrant flows to the territory of the European Union. The more efficient our agricultural production is and the more important our food exports are, the calmer the social situation is in all those regions of the planet from which waves of migrants to Europe are possible.

    And one more thing is industrial activity. Our industrial culture, our natural resources, geographical location, and social traditions allow us to give a new impetus to the economic life of the entire EU thanks to the combination of Ukrainian and pan-European potentials. This is economic growth and jobs – for Ukrainians and for all Europeans.

    You know all this one hundred percent.

    And you know that this is exactly why Russia needs control over Ukraine. This is not just some political ambition. These are very clear security, energy, food, industrial calculations. Calculations that will not come true for Russia. Never. The Ukrainian people will defend their state, their freedom. And the invaders are already aware of this.

    This is one of the reasons for their beastly cruelty. One of the motives of their terror is to destroy something that will not work for them, but can strengthen all of us – Ukrainians, Europeans. As a result of such Russian terror, hundreds of thousands of objects were destroyed.

    A port or a train station, a school or a hospital, a residential building or a car service station, a factory or a bakery, a grain elevator or a power plant… Russia destroys all of this.

    Destroys to make it harder for us to endure this winter. So that Ukrainians could not recover from this war for as long as possible. So that you will not be able to integrate the Ukrainian economic potential and the pan-European potential for as long as possible.

    Missiles and Iranian combat drones have destroyed more than a third of the energy industry alone… And this is before winter!

    We must stand together against it. This is how I perceive the mission of this conference. And I urge you to consider all this from the point of view of security – its four elements.

    We need security on land. We work for it together, establishing defense cooperation. We need security in the sky. And we work for it, negotiating the supply of air defense systems. We need financial security and we work for it at many levels – the IMF, the World Bank, the European Union, the United States and other partners. And the fourth level is our institutional capacity. The way we implement all our reinforcement programs and reconstruction programs now, while the war is still going on, and those designed for the post-war period.

    And I urge you now to focus not only on the fourth element – “how”. But remember the third element as well – “what”. We need to fill our work with real funding – for the sake of restoring Ukraine.

    I thank you – the European Union as a whole and each EU country in particular that helps – for the support already provided to our state. However, we should give this support a more systemic character.

    I believe that we can now adopt a decision on the establishment of a “financial Ramstein” to maintain our common stability – by analogy with the “defense Ramstein” which is already functioning.

    We need a financial coordination platform that will unite and direct all the efforts aimed at rebuilding our country after hostilities. Consolidation is needed – clear and timely direction of resources. This is exactly how what we talked about in Lugano with President Cassis – at the first conference on our recovery – must continue.

    We have developed a transparent plan of priority steps in reconstruction – this is what Ukraine literally needs to survive. Not tomorrow, not next year. Not at a conference in Britain… Right now!

    The weight of our Fast Recovery Plan is $17 billion for critical immediate reconstruction. These are hospitals, schools, vital transport and energy infrastructure.

    We have a huge need for housing reconstruction. Where Russian tanks and artillery methodically destroyed cities… Kyiv region, Chernihiv region, Sumy region, Kharkiv region… It is necessary to give people a new foundation for life already now. But can we give it?

    We have not yet received a single cent for the implementation of the Fast Recovery! I urge you to bring the necessary decisions closer.

    In order to speed up the process of involving partners in our reconstruction, I initiated the creation of the Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine. As a key institution. It is important that 75% of the Fund’s supervisory board will consist of representatives of donor countries. This is transparency, but this is also responsibility. The fund is to start working next month.

    Likewise, now – already at this Conference – it is necessary to adopt a decision on assistance to cover the deficit of our state budget next year.

    For Ukraine, this is an unsustainable amount – a deficit of 38 billion dollars. These are salaries of teachers, doctors, social benefits, pensions. Significant funds. But our association is powerful enough to implement such a task as well.

    This potential is available. This potential exists in particular thanks to the International Monetary Fund and other financial institutions. Our dialogue continues. And I believe that it will develop from abstract numbers to specifics. A specific amount of funding, with specific sources.

    This should also be discussed today.

    Especially since the Ukrainian potential is such that we can give much more in return!

    This is what Russia is fighting for, this is what reconstruction means for Ukraine, this is what victory means for Ukraine and this is what peace in Ukraine means.

    Ukraine is a guarantee of security. Ukraine is our joint development. Ukraine is gratitude.

    When our actions meet our values and our approaches are coordinated, we achieve results that were unimaginable until recently.

    We have such results on the battlefield. We have such results in economic and social adaptation to war conditions. We have such results in our integration with the institutions of the European Union. And we can achieve them in ensuring the stability of Ukraine and in the reconstruction of Ukraine – already now.

    Let the aggressor see that his goal is unattainable. And all our common goals are realized.

    And of course – we must decide on the specifics of how the mechanism of compensation by the aggressor state for all losses caused by this war will work.

    Russian assets – those that have already been frozen, and those that still need to be frozen, are significant. A significant part of these assets is in the jurisdictions of European countries. We need compensation – and this is fair. And therefore, we need a real, fast, legal mechanism for directing Russian assets to compensate for the losses caused by the Russian war.

    I urge you to devote time to this issue today as well.

    I thank you for your attention! Thank you for your support!

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech to Participants of the Haaretz Democracy Conference

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech to Participants of the Haaretz Democracy Conference

    The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 24 October 2022.

    Ladies and Gentlemen!

    People of Israel!

    I am recording this address to you after the regular meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

    The Staff is the highest body in Ukraine, which provides collegial management of the defense of our state. The military, intelligence, heads of special services and law enforcement agencies, the speaker of the parliament, ministers and other top officials – everyone whom the protection of Ukraine depends on, participate in these meetings.

    It is in this format that we adopt key defense decisions. We listen to the reports about hostilities and the development of our defense operations, about threats to national security. And it is there, at the Staff, that the words that are constantly heard in Israel when you talk about the survival of your state are heard more and more often.

    These words are Iran, Iranian. Each time they mean something that you all fully understand. They mean a mortal threat.

    I will give you just one example now.

    It happened on October 17, when Russia carried out another terrorist attack. That day there were 15 Russian cruise missiles and 42 Iranian combat drones in the sky of Ukraine. Power plants, other critical infrastructure facilities, and even residential buildings became targets.

    One of these residential buildings is in Kyiv. After an Iranian drone strike, half of the building is gone. Four floors were destroyed – from the basement to the roof. It stood for 120 years. It was built by Ioselian Lev, an entrepreneur at the time, the head of one of the synagogues. The building withstood World War I, waves of terror and World War II. It saw so much and was destroyed by an Iranian drone. Like many, many other objects in Ukraine.

    Five people died that terrible day. Well… actually, six. A drone killed a young family who lived in one of the apartments of that building in Kyiv – a boy and a girl, the girl was preparing to become a mother.

    Ukraine is now constantly subjected to such Russian terrorist attacks. The disgusting sound of Iranian drones is heard in our skies every night.

    In general, according to our intelligence, Russia ordered about two thousand “Shaheds” from Iran – one type of Iranian terrorist weapon. And also missiles and other drones. Iranian instructors came to teach Russians how to use drones.

    How did this alliance of theirs become possible?

    I will tell you.

    Russia loses to us in a real confrontation on the battlefield. Putin’s army does not know how to fight. We beat it on our land in such a way that it is forced to withdraw its contingents even from other regions that it tried to destabilize. Pay attention – the Russian presence in Syria has been significantly reduced thanks to our defenders, who are beating the occupiers.

    But, unfortunately, we do not have our own “Iron Dome”. We still do not have a modern and effective air defense and missile defense system that could secure our skies. That is why Russia hopes to use terror in the air to compensate for losses on the ground.

    Russia strikes with missiles like the S-300. It uses them to hit Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and other cities. Every day and every night. To burn cities – house by house, street by street.

    Where it cannot reach with these missiles, Russia hits with “Kalibrs” and anti-ship Kh-101. Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro… It destroys energy, transport, food warehouses, shopping centers, and social infrastructure with them.

    In 8 months of full-scale war, Russia has used almost 4,500 missiles against us. And their stock of missiles is dwindling. That is why Russia went looking for affordable weapons in other countries to continue terror. It found them in Iran.

    I have a question for you – how does Russia pay Iran for this, in your opinion? Is Iran just interested in money? Probably not money at all, but Russian assistance to the Iranian nuclear program. Probably, this is exactly the meaning of their alliance.

    And this alliance of theirs simply would not have happened if your politicians had made only one decision at the time. The decision we asked for.

    Every time we in Ukraine, at the meetings of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, discuss Russian missile and drone terror, we also talk about our partners who already help or can help us protect the sky. Unfortunately, the words – Israel, Israeli – do not sound at that moment.

    Of course, this is the decision of your state, your Governments. It seems that it was adopted a long time ago – in 2014, when Russia began its aggression against Ukraine. The decision “not to annoy” the Kremlin, not to help Ukraine for real. I emphasize – we have been asking Israel for help since 2014. But such is the continuance of politicians.

    Although if we had immediately secured our skies when faced with a missile and drone threat, Russia would not even have a motive now to go to Iran and offer it something in exchange for assistance in terror. But that’s what happened.

    And I think that this alliance of theirs can still be rendered meaningless. If we act together, with you, in the same way as with other democracies.

    Ladies and Gentlemen!

    Russian officials and propagandists are really frank. They hate that we live freely and protect our culture. They even try not to say the word Ukraine. They want us all dead. The other day, even one of the famous Russian propagandists absolutely openly called to burn Ukrainian children simply in the houses where they live, or to drown them in rivers – as soon as the children say that they are Ukrainians.

    This is what rashism is. Iran helps rashism by getting something for itself.

    Many democratic countries help us. But we would also like to get your help.

    Of course, we will not give up our struggle no matter what. We want simple and clear things: to liberate our land, to guarantee the safety of our people, to give peace to Ukrainians.

    We will continue our defense and, I am sure, we will defend Ukraine and our freedom. Our common freedom – of all democratic countries.

    I sincerely thank you for the award with which you honored this struggle of ours.

    But isn’t it time for your state to choose who you are with as well?

    Is it with the democratic world, which is fighting side by side against the existential threat to its existence? Or with those who turn a blind eye to Russian terror even when the cost of continued terror is the complete destruction of global security?

    I believe that you will give fair answers to my questions. Because these questions, in fact, are not about politics, but about values. About the values that still unite us. They unite us even when we do not agree on politics.

    I thank the people of Israel for the understanding and help, in particular, medical aid that we received from your society! I am grateful to you and all the Israeli media that spread the truth about this war and condemn Russian terror! I am thankful to all of your people who took to the streets after the start of the full-scale war, and we saw – we are supported in the Promised Land. I believe that we will see support in the sky as well.

    Thank you for your attention and I wish you all peace and victory!

    Glory to Ukraine!