President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy participated via video conference in the G7 meeting. The video connection was established from the capital of Ukraine, from the Metropolitan's House of the Sofia Kyivska Reserve. Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen Also participated in the video call.
A separate meeting of the G7 plus Ukraine was initiated by President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic Giorgia Meloni on the occasion of the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022.
Addressing the leaders of the G7 states, the Head of State thanked them on behalf of all Ukrainians for the crucial support provided to our country and people.
"We started this way together two years ago, not sure what challenges would lie-ahead. But now, we can clearly say that our leadership is sufficient to restore security. When the world's leading democracies are truly determined, this determination overcomes all challenges," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He reminded that during this time, the G7 countries and Ukraine have already achieved much, and the world feels that Putin's regime can lose this war.
"And when he loses, it will mean that not just someone wins, but the entire global community of nations – and international law as such – will prevail. We must ensure this. Please remember that imperial ambitions and revanchism can be defeated only together with those infected by them, and this is what opens the space for true security and the development of democracy," said the President of Ukraine.
The Head of State thanked world leaders for these two years during which they stood with Ukraine.
"We stood against the strikes. We are reclaiming what belongs to us, and will certainly make the Putin-system pay the proper price for every Russian evil. But we must be decisive – exactly as necessary for our common success. We must keep the principle – just so that justice wins. We must be active and tireless exactly as what it takes to protect as many human lives as possible. And we must be united just as our victory demands – our common victory," stated Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He separately thanked Giorgia Meloni for her leadership and wished Italy a productive presidency in the Group of Seven.
President of Ukraine also addressed President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council Charles Michel, Prime Ministers: Justin Trudeau of Canada, Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom, Fumio Kishida of Japan, Olaf Scholz of Germany, President of the United States Joseph Biden, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of France Stéphane Séjourné, and thanked them for supporting our state.
"I thank each of you for your leadership, for your engagement and for making the world keep the trust in you. You know very well all we need to keep our sky protected; to strengthen our military on the land; and you know all we need to sustain and continue our success in the sea; and you know perfectly well that we need all this in time. We count on you," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Giorgia Meloni, who initiated the meeting of the G7 plus Ukraine, noted that two years ago, when Russia shocked the world with a full-scale invasion, Vladimir Putin aimed to force Ukraine to capitulate within a few days. But he did not take into account two factors: the resilience of Ukrainians and the unity of the West.
"These are two elements that made his plan fail. And I think that we must do much better explaining that the current situation in the conflict is our victory – a Ukrainian victory Ukraine, and not the victory for Russia," said the Prime Minister of Italy.
According to her, the future of the world is currently being decided in Ukraine, whether it will be based on the strength of international law and the UN Charter.
"So, we are here and will continue to provide Ukraine with all the help they need as long as necessary, because the future of Ukraine must be one of peace, freedom, and prosperity," concluded Giorgia Meloni.