Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak met with international relations students.
According to Andriy Yermak, our country manages to hold out against Russia's full-scale aggression primarily thanks to the contribution of every citizen. And the creativity and innovation of Ukrainians play an important role in this matter.
"Today we are creating the modern history of Ukraine together. We are open to new ideas, thoughts and opinions... The key thing is to pursue change, to be in constant search, to come up with new solutions. It is important not to be afraid of anything, to have energy for improvement and self-development. It is important to love and believe in what you do," he said.
The Head of the President's Office reminded that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the President of Ukraine and Ukrainian politicians asked the United States to provide Patriot air defense systems, and at that time it seemed like a pipe dream, but now these systems are protecting Ukrainians, along with other types of weapons - HIMARS, Leopard, etc. F-16s are on the way. In February 2022, some politicians were skeptical about the President signing the application for membership in the European Union, and now the EU has opened negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the organization.
During the meeting, the students had the opportunity to ask the Head of the Presidential Office questions. For example, they were interested in Ukraine's goals in certain international organizations, including the IAEA.
Andriy Yermak emphasized that the war requires Ukraine to take a proactive stance on all international fora and defend its agency.
The students also asked about Ukraine's cooperation with the countries of the Global South, predictions for the upcoming U.S. elections, and the establishment of a Special Tribunal to punish Russia.
"Two years of war are our pain and tragedy. But it is very important to realize that no one owes us anything. We need to understand that everything is built on interests – some countries need to be involved by talking about future prospects and their benefits in case of Ukraine's victory. The President of Ukraine and his team have managed to bring together an unprecedented number of countries supporting us. This is evidenced by the meetings of national security advisors and political advisors to the heads of state as part of the implementation of President Zelenskyy's Ukrainian Peace Formula, where the number of participants is constantly increasing. As of today, more than 80 countries will be represented at the upcoming meeting in Davos," the Head of the Presidential Office noted.
Andriy Yermak thanked the students for their interest in contributing their intellectual potential to the development of modern Ukraine and expressed hope for fruitful cooperation in the future.