President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that he was working 24 hours a day to end the war in eastern Ukraine, and the issue of returning the temporarily occupied Crimea will be the next challenge.
“I promised to end the war in the east and restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine. All my personal efforts are aimed at this all 24 hours a day,” the Head of State said during a speech to the military servicemen and veterans of ATO / JFO at the celebrations dedicated to the Day of the Defender of Ukraine in Odesa.
The President stressed his unchanging position in the issue of achieving peace in the east of the country and it coincides with the position of the Ukrainian people. “Donbas is Ukraine. And there must be peace. There should be a complete ceasefire, the release of all our prisoners, the withdrawal of foreign military forces, the establishment of control over the state border. And local elections must take place under Ukrainian law under the supervision of international observers, not machine guns,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
In addition, he stressed that the issue of temporarily occupied Crimea does not remain without attention.
“We do not forget and we will never forget about annexed Crimea, the return of which will be our next challenge,” the President said.
“Believe me, I am already allergic to the word “capitulation.” And I want to assure everyone again: there will be no surrender of national interests. It is not about me or Ukraine,” he added.
The Head of State emphasized that the prudent diplomacy, the strong security and defense sector, the revival of the economy and welfare of Ukrainian citizens was a kind of foundation that would strengthen the Ukrainian position.
“Only one thing can make this foundation monolithic is the unity of all Ukrainians. The restoration of territorial integrity and the birth of a wealthy and strong Ukraine for the sake of our main purpose. Country where our children and grandchildren will live happily and free. This is our main national interest,” the President stressed.
According to him, active measures aimed at the implementation of the above are laid in the new version of the National Security Strategy of Ukraine.
