Ladies and gentlemen!
I would like to thank all those who participate in the meeting and support Ukrainian efforts to free our people from Russian captivity.
Today, no one can say for sure how many of our citizens – children and adults, warriors and civilians – are being held in Russian captivity, in Russian deportation, in camps, and how many of our people are in the prisons of this terrorist state. But each of us can and must speak with absolute certainty and specificity: we must do our best to bring all these people home to Ukraine. I am happy every time we succeed, when Ukrainians return, when they are greeted here with the flag of our country, on our land. When they are met by their families and friends. This is very important.
The return from Putin's Russia to Ukraine is really a return from the embrace of death.
Everyone has seen what our people look like after the Russian captivity, after all these terrible tortures. Everyone knows what our people testify about, the atrocities they recount. And the world knows with what cruelty Russia is trying to conceal the truth about the captured Ukrainians and to indoctrinate the children abducted from Ukraine... To teach them hatred – hatred specifically towards their own home.
Time is very precious. And the longer our people stay in Russian captivity, the harder it will be for them to return to normal life.
We must do everything possible, everything impossible, to ensure that this point of our Peace Formula, namely the return of all prisoners and deportees, is fulfilled without any conditions, without any exceptions.
I thank all our officials, our friends, partners, and all our institutions that are working for the return of Ukrainians. I would like to thank each international mediator separately – states and leaders – for the result. It is very important not to forget about anyone and to find absolutely everyone. All civilians, all our adults, children, all our Crimeans – everyone, absolutely everyone. Military, civilians. Deported and Crimean political prisoners, about whom we just watched such a sensitive video... Nariman Dzhelyal. It is very important not to forget their names. I am grateful that you remind us of this and of these people. Leniye Umerova, Vladyslav Yesypenko and many, many others who really fought and are still fighting. Wherever these people are – at liberty or behind bars – they are really fighting, fighting for Ukraine. Deported families, particularly from Kherson region. Deported families, in particular from Zaporizhzhia region... Everyone must be found and returned.
And it is imperative to bring Russia, every war criminal, all those involved in the deportation of our people, those involved in the torture of prisoners to justice. The International Criminal Court has already taken significant legal steps. Joint work with many nations and international organizations that are helping is underway. Please do more every time – because it is not enough – more than seems possible, more than there is strength for, more than planned to bring our people home.
Thank you for supporting our initiative, thank you for the organization!
Thank you for your attention!
Glory to Ukraine!
