Speeches

I want this to be the main association with our country - I want the phrase "for the first time" to always be next to the word "Ukraine". I will talk about the main things: what was done for the first time and what will happen next.

We will never forget our ancestors who died in 1921, 1922 and 1923. In 1946 and 1947. And in the worst 1932 and 1933, arranged by the totalitarian Stalinist regime, the years of the Holodomor-genocide.

You have to be worthy, not give up. Because Ukrainians are not used to giving up. Because they have dignity. And therefore - freedom!

The UN must support those who want to change the world for the better. Today, Ukraine is presenting a number of initiatives, platforms and summits. Let's take only one - the Crimea Platform. It must work under the auspices of the United Nations. If every nation has such an effective platform, approved by the UN, which solves problems and works 24/7, that means reviving the UN. Because it means to revive faith in the UN among ordinary people.

Today we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the proclamation of Ukraine's independence! The 30th anniversary of its obtaining! And it is fairer, in my opinion, to say: the 30th anniversary of the restoration of Ukraine's independence! Because on August 24, 1991, Ukraine restored its statehood. And on August 24, 2021, Ukraine finally realizes this, talks about it, and is proud of it.

Kyivan Rus’ is the mother of our history. 24 regions of Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula are her own children. And they are rightfully her heirs. And cousins and very distant relatives should not encroach on her legacy. They should not try to prove their involvement in the history of thousands of years and thousands of events, being from the places where they took place thousands of kilometers away.