Tag: Speeches

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 1 July 2022.

Ukrainians!

All our defenders!

Undoubtedly, the main word today is Zmiinyi. Apparently, there was just as much talk about Zmiinyi only on the day when the Russian ship arrived there. Then the ship left – forever, and now the island is free again. I am grateful to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, the fighters of “Alpha”, I am grateful to our gunners, pilots of the army aviation and Air Force, the command of “Oleksandriya”.

Zmiinyi Island is a strategic point, and it significantly changes the situation in the Black Sea. It does not guarantee safety yet, it does not yet guarantee that the enemy will not return. But it already limits the actions of the occupiers significantly. Step by step, we will drive them out of our sea, our land, and our sky.

The situation in Donbas remains the toughest, extremely difficult. The fire superiority of the occupiers is still extremely tangible – they have already taken everything from their reserves to hit us: the Luhansk region, the Donetsk region. I am grateful to everyone who defends our positions in such conditions. This is true heroism.

The United States announced today a new package of support for Ukraine, primarily concerning defense. I am grateful to President Biden for this assistance. Soon it will get to the frontline to work for Ukraine, for the defense of freedom.

Talked about defense support with the Federal President of Germany. Thanked him for the help that had already been provided. Once again I outlined our priorities – the types of weapons we need. President Steinmeier expressed his condolences over the inhumane attack on Kremenchuk and our other cities.

Today, another significant step in our rapprochement with the European Union took place – Ukraine launched a significant export of electricity to the territory of the EU, to Romania. And this is only the first stage. We are preparing to increase supply.

At the expense of Ukrainian electricity, a significant part of the Russian gas consumed by Europeans can be replaced. That is, it is not just a question of export revenue for us, it is a question of security for the whole of Europe.

I would like to remind you that our country joined the common energy system of the EU already after the start of the war. Ukraine is doing things that seemed impossible.

France’s Presidency of the Council of the EU ends today. The historical period when we received the candidacy. Europe has become stronger over this time. The Presidency of the Czech Republic begins, and I am grateful to our Czech partners for the fact that they have identified the reconstruction of Ukraine as one of the priorities of their Presidency. It is really important to start reconstruction as soon as possible on the territory that has already been liberated.

And our priority – and this will be a task for all representatives of the state – everything should be done as soon as possible to prepare the start of membership negotiations. Government officials, deputies, diplomats – everyone must work on this 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. By the way, tomorrow there will be news on this topic. Ukraine’s European integration cannot be stopped.

Eternal glory to all who defend the state!

Eternal memory to everyone who gave their lives for our freedom, the freedom of Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 30 June 2022.

Ukrainians!

Our defenders!

A week ago, our country received the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union, and today another step has been taken on the path to membership. A very practical step. “Transport visa-free regime” was signed. This is an agreement that removes barriers for Ukrainian carriers. You no longer have to wait for permits for freight transportation. And this will significantly increase the export of Ukrainian goods by road transport.

This is exactly the task of our state now – not to lose a single week in relations with the European Union. Despite this war, despite all the difficulties, we will constantly do what brings us closer to full membership in the European Union.

By the way, yesterday I held a special meeting – a big meeting including 28 participants representing the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. The state will have a relevant document – a clear map of actions that can be checked by any citizen of Ukraine: what needs to be done by state institutions so that we fulfill our part of the job on the path to the European Union. This document will be presented on July 1.

I took part in the NATO summit this morning. This is a special summit. A summit of transformation. The Alliance is changing its strategy in response to Russia’s aggressive anti-European policies and Russia’s war against our country. It is obvious that it is impossible to guarantee security in Europe in such conditions without our state. And we will do everything to transform this obvious nature into concrete decisions – for Ukraine, for the Alliance. We need clear security guarantees – we will have them, and today I called on NATO members to find a format of decisions that would allow for Ukraine’s full participation in our common European security architecture. I called on NATO countries to speed up the supply of missile defense systems to Ukraine and significantly increase the pressure on the terrorist state.

Today’s Russian strike alone at the city of Mykolaiv – 10 missiles at once, and all of them were aimed at civilian targets – proves for absolutely everyone in the world that the pressure on Russia is not enough. One of these missiles, a hypersonic anti-ship missile “Onyx”, destroyed an ordinary five-story building. Dismantling of the debris continued over the day. As of now, five people are known to have been killed. There were also strikes at Ochakiv, Dnipro, the Russian shelling of the Kharkiv region, Sumy region, Donbas. Lysychansk, Avdiivka, communities in the Bakhmut direction – the situation there remains extremely brutal, very difficult. We are doing everything we can to provide our military with modern artillery systems to respond properly to the occupiers.

Russia squeezed out the message of Syria about the alleged recognition of the occupation structures in Donbas as alleged states. This is an empty story. And in that case, there will be no more relations between Ukraine and Syria, and the pressure of sanctions against Syria will be even greater.

For the first time in all the years of independence, the President of Indonesia, a very influential state that may suffer significantly from the food crisis provoked by Russia, paid a visit to Kyiv today. Therefore, these were important negotiations that opened for Ukraine another strategic direction of relations with Asia.

One of the most famous businessmen in the world, Richard Branson, also visited Ukraine. He is more than just an entrepreneur. He is a visionary, a man who works for progress and the best technology for all mankind. His arrival in Ukraine right now – and he visited Hostomel, where he discussed, in particular, the possibility of rebuilding the airport and building our “Mriya”, the world’s largest aircraft – is a very strong signal to everyone in the world that Ukraine will definitely withstand this war. And I am grateful to Mr. Branson for his willingness to join the post-war reconstruction of our country.

And another optimistic and very important news: 144 Ukrainian warriors were returned home from Russian captivity. 59 soldiers of the National Guard, 30 – Navy; 28 – army, 17 border guards, 9 territorial defense soldiers, 1 policeman. The oldest of the liberated is 65 years old, the youngest is 19. In particular, 95 Azovstal defenders return home. I am grateful to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine and to everyone who worked for this result. But let’s talk about this later. We will do everything to bring every Ukrainian man and woman home. Thank you again.

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 29 June 2022.

Ukrainians!

All our defenders!

I have just taken part in a special meeting of the UN Security Council convened at the request of Ukraine. Convened by Albania – this state presides in the Security Council. We have taken advantage of all international levers to bring Russia to justice for state terrorism. For everything done by the Russian army against Ukrainians in Kremenchuk, in Ochakiv, in Lysychansk, in Kharkiv, in Dnipro, in many, many other cities of Ukraine. As of this evening, the total number of Russian missiles that have hit our cities is already 2,811. And there are many more air bombs, many artillery shells…

The UN Security Council today stood in silence to commemorate all Ukrainians killed by the Russian army on our land. The members of the Russian delegation looked at everyone present in the Security Council and also decided to stand up – just so as not to look like outright murderers. But everyone knows that it is Russian terror, it is the Russian state that is killing innocent people in this war waged against the Ukrainian people.

I called on the UN to use the existing mechanisms of the Charter to stop Russian manipulation of the Organization’s structures and to set up a special tribunal to investigate the actions of the Russian occupiers on Ukrainian soil.

Ukraine’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies are doing their best to identify all Russian servicemen responsible for the terror against our cities. The names, faces and all information about each of these terrorists will be known to the world. None of them will be able to avoid responsibility, and personal sanctions will not be enough for these people. A sentence and imprisonment are the minimum they deserve.

And I wish to say separately about the responsibility of those Russian propagandists who lie about this terror, who are trying to justify the actions of the Russian army. Each of you will also be punished. We have all the evidence of what the Russian troops are doing against our people.

Today, I want to end this address with one such piece of evidence – so that no one dares to deceive about the missile strike at the shopping mall in Kremenchuk. The Russian missile hit this very object, purposefully. Obviously, that was the order. It is obvious that Russian assassins received such coordinates for this missile. They wanted to kill as many people as possible in a peaceful city, in a regular shopping mall. Here is what happened in Kremenchuk:

(Video)

And for this act of state terrorism, as for all others, Russia will be responsible. On the battlefield in Ukraine, by the strengthening of sanctions and, of course, in the tribunal.

I am grateful to everyone who defends Ukraine. Today I signed a new decree on awarding our heroes. 314 more combatants were awarded state awards.

Eternal glory to our defenders!

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 28 June 2022.

Dear Ukrainians! Unbreakable citizens of an unbreakable country!

Great people with a great history!

Conscientious society of the state guided by the rule of law!

The fact that all of the above is true is proved by many things.

Ancient documents and chronicles, historical and legal landmarks, religious traditions and folk customs, science, literature, music, painting, legends and myths, proverbs and sayings, and even news releases. All this in its own way depicts our state and all of us. But there is one thing that, in my opinion, gives the most detailed and objective assessment. This is the Constitution of Ukraine!

This is a point of development that we have reached as a state and society over the centuries of history. The government system is our intellect. The form of government shows whether we have moved to the next level of civilization or are stuck in an era of tyranny and dictatorship. The Constitution, like an X-ray, shows our strengths and weaknesses. Our principles, our values, our ideals. The level of freedom and rights that we are willing to defend. The level of maturity and responsibilities we are willing to fulfill. The norms of the Constitution make it possible to decipher the genetic code of our nation. Find the answer to two main questions: what is Ukraine and who are the Ukrainians?

This is our detailed portrait. And especially now, during a full-scale war, its main features are clearly visible. We passed the Basic Law of the state 26 years ago. 26 years later, defending our state is the basic law for us. Why? The answer is in the preamble of the Constitution. The principles of its adoption 26 years ago are the principles of our struggle now. They explain why and what we are fighting for. This is the right of the Ukrainian people to self-determination, the universally approved independence of Ukraine, the irreversibility of the path to Europe. This is the responsibility to God, to one’s own conscience, to previous, present, and future generations.

We didn’t start the war, we were not the first to shoot and we were not the first to attack. We defend Ukraine, which is a sovereign, independent, democratic, social and legal state. Taking up arms, we did not hesitate, as at a crossroads. We did not choose whether to defend the first article of the Constitution or to adhere to the first commandment of God. God is on our side, he says that defending your home from evil is not a sin. It is a sin not to defend it.

Our sovereignty extends to the entire territory. We are a unitary state. Our territory within the existing borders is integral and inviolable. That is why in the east and west, in the south, in the north and in the center, our people are heroically fighting for these principles and for the second article of our Constitution. Repelling the second army of the world.

Which is indifferent to all the threats and risks of World War III. But we are not indifferent to the norms of the third article of the Constitution. A person, a person’s life and health, honor and dignity, inviolability and security are the highest social values. And our people are defending this principle at the cost of their lives, health and security. With honor and dignity!

The norm for us is to protect it. The norm for us is to protect other norms.

Land is the main national wealth. Its subsoil, air, water and other natural resources of its territory, continental shelf and sea zone are the property of the Ukrainian people. We will fight for every meter of our land to the last breath.

Because only the people can change the constitutional order in Ukraine. No one can usurp state power. We know the term “democracy” well, so we don’t know what the fifth term is. Our right to protest, assembly and manifestation is a constitutional article, and for others it is a criminal one.

State symbols are not symbolic or formal for us. Our state flag is a flag made of blue and yellow stripes. Two sacred colors. The third is not given. As it is not allowed for a foreign tricolor to hoist over our land, in our sky in any way different than with the prefix “temporarily”.

Our coat of arms is a sign of the Princely State of Volodymyr the Great. This is a trident. Not two-headed birds. Because this is not going to fly here.

Our National Anthem “The glory and freedom of Ukraine has not yet perished…” They live and will live on. Our people in the occupied cities are not afraid to go to peaceful rallies and sing their anthem. Sing out loud. Looking into the eyes of the occupier, sing that they will vanish like the dew in the sun. This nation cannot be defeated! Only exterminated. But even this is impossible. Because we are of Cossack descent!

And our state language is Ukrainian. And we respect all other languages. We do not oppress any of them. That is why today people are fighting for Ukraine in Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar, Polish, Russian, Belarusian, Moldovan, Hungarian, Romanian, Georgian and many other languages! Because it is clear without words what evil is. And you can beat it without words.

The occupier expected a warm welcome, but faced fierce resistance. Meeting not with bread and salt, but with “Stugna” and “Javelin”, “Bayraktar” and “Neptune”, “Vilkha” and “HIMARS”.

Our resistance has lasted for 125 days already. For the world it is the eighth miracle, for the enemy it is the ninth wave, and for us it is the seventeenth article of the Constitution of Ukraine. The defense of Ukraine is the most important function of the state and the matter of the entire Ukrainian people.

We have no choice but to defend our choice. It is our obligation to protect our rights. Rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

An inalienable right to life that Russia has violated tens of thousands of times and claimed tens of thousands of lives. It is the inviolability of home, which is violated every day and night by its missiles, bombs and bullets.

These are rights that are familiar and inalienable to us. This is freedom of speech. That is why Ukrainians are not afraid to tell the enemy “go home.” Because they have freedom of thought. They know how to think, see, hear, understand, distinguish truth from lies. This is the right to vote and to be elected. Impossibility to be arrested for nothing. Freedom of movement. Immunity. These are all children’s rights.

We are fighting for all this today. To defend, liberate and restore. For our future generations to have rights, our generation has no right to give up. We do not have such a desire either. The enemy will not be able to realize the force with which we are ready to fight for our rights and freedoms. He who does not have it himself will never deprive others of it. That is why victory is inevitable for us. Punishment is inevitable for the enemy. And it will come. And peace will come, too.

And our children will finally go to school. They know from an early age what freedom and struggle for it are, what rights are, what the Constitution of Ukraine is.

And they know what glorious legal ancestors they have. In particular, the Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk, which is over 300 years old. It is called the first written Constitution of Europe. And last year it visited home, Ukraine, for the first time. It was exhibited in Kyiv, but it is fair to read it in every corner of Ukraine. To this end, it will be translated from Latin into Ukrainian, and tens of thousands of copies will be sent to Ukrainian schools! We are sure that sooner or later the Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk, the Constitution of independent Ukraine, and other subjects of the Ukrainian school will be studied by our happy and smiling children – in Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, Kherson, Crimea!

Victory is not far off! Victory will be ours!

Happy Constitution Day of Ukraine, dear citizens!

Glory to you!

Glory to the Armed Forces of Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 26 June 2022.

This address is without greetings.

Today’s Russian strike at a shopping mall in Kremenchuk is one of the most defiant terrorist attacks in European history. A peaceful city, an ordinary shopping mall with women, children, ordinary civilians inside… Before the air alarm there were about a thousand people. Fortunately, as far as we know at this time, many people managed to get out in time. They were taken out in time. But there were still people inside: staff, some visitors…

Only totally insane terrorists, who should have no place on earth, can strike missiles at such an object. And this is not an off-target missile strike, this is a calculated Russian strike – exactly at this shopping mall.

It is not yet possible to establish the number of victims for now. A fire broke out in an area of more than 10 thousand square meters. The rescue operation continues, but we must be aware that the losses may be significant. As of now, we know about 12 dead and 24 wounded. We are establishing the number of people under the rubble.

All the wounded will be provided with all the necessary assistance – Kyiv doctors have already left for Kremenchuk. The Minister of Internal Affairs is already there, he will coordinate all the necessary actions.

My condolences to the families and friends of those killed in this terrible terrorist attack.

And I ask each and every one – whenever you hear the air alarm siren, go to the shelter. Necessarily. Don’t ignore it. Russia will stop at nothing.

This morning, I appealed to the United States to recognize Russia as a state that sponsors terrorism. The relevant resolution is approved by the US Senate Committee, and the legal decision can be adopted by the Department of State. And such a decision is clearly needed, and it must be supported by the entire democratic world. I told this to the participants of the G7 Summit, which took place in Germany.

As of today, Russia has used almost 2,800 different cruise missiles against Ukraine. The number of air bombs and MLRS rockets hitting our cities simply cannot be counted. There were hundreds of thousands of them in the four months of the war. This is nothing but terror.

Another brutal shelling of Kharkiv, northern Saltivka took place today. At present, we know about 5 people killed and more than 30 wounded, 5 of them children. All are civilians, no military.

The Russian state has become the largest terrorist organization in the world. And this is a fact. And this must be a legal fact. And everyone in the world must know that buying or transporting Russian oil, maintaining contacts with Russian banks, paying taxes and customs duties to the Russian state means giving money to terrorists.

I also said today, addressing the leaders of the G7, that our common potential is absolutely enough to defeat the Russian army – it does not know how to fight. All the operations we carry out to deoccupy our territories show one thing: the occupiers are crumbling when we have something to put pressure on them. They do not know how to resist. They are capable only of such vile strikes as those in Kremenchuk or Saltivka today, only of the total thoughtless destruction of all living things as in Mariupol. Therefore, the war may not drag on, if we can really push together and drive the occupiers out of our Ukrainian land. The sooner this happens, the more lives will be saved.

Even before the start of a full-scale war, we told our partners that we needed modern missile defense. We repeated this after February 24 as well. People in the Kremenchuk shopping mall deserved security just as much as people in any mall in the world – somewhere in Philadelphia or Tel Aviv, or in a shopping gallery somewhere in Dresden. The world can, and therefore must, stop Russian terror. And now I can already say this – I heard it from our partners: Ukraine must get reliable missile defense, we are expecting the supply of appropriate systems.

And there is another important result of the “seven”, which is worth mentioning right now. This has already been officially agreed: the most powerful democracies in the world will support our state as long as necessary for our victory.

Ukraine will not be broken! Never.

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 25 June 2022.

Unbreakable people of an unbreakable country!

Russia today again hit Kyiv with missiles. Early in the morning. The second army of the world triumphantly “defeated” a kindergarten and an apartment building. The man died, he was only 37 years old. There are wounded, among them – a girl named Zhenya, she is seven years old, the daughter of the deceased, now she is in “Okhmatdyt”. Her mother was also wounded. By the way, a citizen of Russia. That’s that. She was not threatened by anything in our country, she was completely safe, until Russia itself decided that everything was equally hostile to them now – women, children, kindergartens, apartment buildings, hospitals, railways.

Missiles also hit the Mykolaiv region, the Chernihiv region, Odesa, Cherkasy. Artillery and mortar shelling did not stop in the Kharkiv region, in the Sumy region, in Donbas, in the south of our state. My condolences to the families and friends of the victims. Everyone who was injured is given all the necessary help.

Part of the missiles were shot down. But only part. We need a powerful air defense – modern, fully effective. Which can ensure complete protection against these missiles. We talk about this every day with our partners. There are already some agreements. And partners need to move faster if they are really partners, not observers.

Delays in the transfer of weapons to our state, any restrictions are actually an invitation for Russia to strike again and again. The occupiers – these terrorists – must be beaten with all our might so that they do not think they can put pressure and outplay someone.

What are these missiles about today? And what are yesterday’s 62 missiles – for only one Saturday, for 24 hours – are about? They are about the Russian method: to escalate every time international events take place. And at the same time they are about determination. About, for example, the fact that the leaders of the G7, who gathered in Germany today for a summit, have enough common potential to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine and against Europe as a whole. It is possible.

But this is possible only if we get everything we ask for, and just in time we need it – weapons, financial support, and sanctions against Russia. It cannot be otherwise in this war. Because it is here – in the sky over Kyiv, in the sea near Odesa, on the land of the Kharkiv region, Donbas, in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions – that it is being decided what life will be like in Europe in the future. Here, in Ukraine, and nowhere else.

Of course, there are not as many missiles in Russia as we have confidence in ourselves. But Russian weapons can be stopped only by more powerful weapons.

I spoke about this today with Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau – how else we can strengthen defense support for Ukraine and how else we can increase the pressure of sanctions on Russia. I thanked Justin for the help already provided – one of the most tangible.

And today I want to say a few more things, very targeted.

Firstly, all pilots, dispatchers, mechanics and other people who ensure the launch of missiles at Ukraine must understand: we will find you all. Each of you will be responsible for these strikes. And if someone thinks that he will evade responsibility by saying that such was the order, you are mistaken. When your missiles hit residential buildings, these are war crimes. Trial is what awaits you all. And there will be nowhere to hide for you – neither on the shores of the Caspian Sea, over which your missiles are launched, nor in Belarus… Nowhere.

And I would like to separately address the citizens of Belarus today. Both civilians and those in uniform. You are being drawn into the war. And even more actively than in February and in the spring months. The Kremlin has already decided everything for you – your lives are worth nothing to them. But you are not slaves or cannon fodder. You do not have to die. And you can prevent anyone from deciding for you what awaits you next.

I know that the people of Belarus support Ukraine, they support us, definitely us, not the war. And that is why the Russian leadership wants to draw you – all Belarusians – into the war, wants to sow hatred between us.

A lot now depends on the ordinary people of Belarus. And I know that you can refuse to participate in this war. Your lives belong only to you, not to someone in the Kremlin.

Ukraine will defend itself from strikes from any direction and from any weapon. I’m sure we will endure and get everything back. But anyone, any normal person in any country, in particular in Belarus, can contribute to the protection of life.

This week will be very important for all of us. Therefore, we continue to work at all levels and do not slow down.

Glory to all who defend the state!

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 24 June 2022.

Ukrainians!

All our defenders!

45 Russian missiles over the night and morning of today. Zhytomyr region, Lviv region, Chernihiv region, Mykolaiv. In the evening – more missiles. Different types, different launch areas… All of them were launched with one goal – to show that Russia allegedly can achieve something, that the Russian army will allegedly succeed.

Today marks the fifth month of a full-scale war. The occupiers were going to capture most of our country on the fifth day, but have to stage such a missile show on the fifth month, which does not change anything strategically for Russia. This is such a phase of the war – morally difficult, emotionally difficult. When we know that the enemy will not succeed, when we understand that we will still be able to defend our state, but we do not feel the time limits of this, we do not feel how many more strikes, losses, efforts will be before we see that victory is already on our horizon.

For this, Russia needs these missile strikes at cities across the country, artillery and mortar shelling of the border areas of our state, the border areas of the Chernihiv, Sumy regions, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk region. It is not just the destruction of our infrastructure, it is also a very cynical, calculated pressure on the emotions of our people.

But it’s not us who will be overpowered, we will overpower them. No Russian missiles, no strikes can break the morale of Ukrainians. And each of their missiles is an argument in our negotiations with partners.

I will take part in the G7 Summit on Monday. The NATO Summit will take place next week. 45 missiles in half a day and just on the eve of such meetings. All clear. Another confirmation of our position. This confirms that sanctions packages against Russia are not enough, that Ukraine needs more armed assistance, and that air defense systems – the modern systems that our partners have – should be not in training areas or storage facilities, but in Ukraine, where they are now needed. Needed more than anywhere else in the world.

And one more thing that should be said today after such a missile attack. In the four months of the war, more than 20,000 Ukrainian warriors were awarded state awards. More precisely, 20,463. These are the Armed Forces, the National Guard, border guards, our rescuers, police, intelligence, Security Service, our doctors, State Security Administration, State Special Communications Service, NABU special forces, State Bureau of Investigation and employees of the Judicial Security Service… 156 warriors were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. This is the scale of courage, this is the level of resistance. And if there are more than 20 thousand of those whose feat has already been awarded, what kind of missiles can anyone in Russia hope for? What artillery, what mines can help the occupiers, if they are really opposed by mass people’s resistance?

Therefore, all our cities: Severodonetsk, Donetsk, Luhansk – we will return everything. Every week we go to Kherson. Melitopol, Berdyansk, Enerhodar and Mariupol were never forgotten. And all other cities of Ukraine that are temporarily occupied will be Ukrainian only. Thanks to our heroes, thanks to each and everyone who does not get tired, who does not succumb to emotional breakdowns, who struggles and who knows that victory is ahead. Our victory, only ours.

Eternal glory to all who defend Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 23 June 2022.

Good evening, great people of our state!

Today was marked by a discussion of the historic decision of the EU Summit – granting Ukraine candidate status.

Since this morning and until this moment, there is a dialogue on television, radio, on the Internet about what it means, what conditions Ukraine has to fulfill, how difficult it will be to fulfill and how many years it will take…

And I want to say the following on this day. Let’s rejoice at least a little. In a quiet, modest way, silently, but rejoice. For ourselves, for our beloved state. Let’s feel the moment and the taste of this moment.

Imagine conquering Everest. You reached the penultimate point. You didn’t look around, didn’t even take a breath and talk about the further way to the top. How difficult it will be to overcome the last 1848 meters. Instantly we forgot and devalued our own success.

Maybe we should first recall that we have already covered 7,000 meters?! Let’s not be ashamed to talk about our achievements. Let’s not be a nation with a short memory and inferiority complex.

We say: Ukraine has been granted EU candidate status. Let’s say: Ukraine has gained EU candidate status. Did it fall from the sky? Haven’t we endured and done a lot?

Today we focus on seven EU requirements. Yes. It’s true. But does it scare us? No. Because before that we successfully fulfilled hundreds. Let’s not forget about it. Not for bragging, but for the belief that we will definitely overcome this path. We have covered 7,000 meters, so we will not stop – we will reach our Everest.

Let’s talk at least for a moment not about what awaits us, but about what we managed to do. Because, forgetting about it, we underestimate the significance of this step.

There were times when we couldn’t take tickets in the evening and fly to Europe in the morning. We stood in line. Documents, visas, etc. Remember? A pile of papers that we carried in the file, which were required by all government agencies with officials who did not report to us and did not submit electronic declarations. High-ranking officials, for the control of which there was neither a special body nor a special court. Deputies with immunity. President who could not be impeached. Land that could not just be bought.

Sounds wild? It seems it wasn’t with us, doesn’t it? It was. And not so long ago. But we changed everything.

Privatization. Land reform. Open-list voting. Decentralization. NACP, Anticorruption Court, administrative services centers, public services online. Diia. Split. Unbundling. Concession. Common aviation space. Industrial visa-free regime. Deoligarchization.

Much has been done. Exactly done! Let’s not forget that. Let’s be proud of ourselves. Respect ourselves.

And we repelled the Russians. And we will win. Because when we respect ourselves we will be respected by others.

Do not rejoice at a slap in the face of Moscow, but be proud of applause for Ukraine. And that’s why I want to see us in one family. Let it inspire you.

We deserved it. Realized it. Smile, please. And may God give us all a quiet night.

Well, tomorrow is the battle again. With new strength. With new wings.

Glory to Ukraine!