Ukraine's power and ability to resist the Russian army, which is the second largest in the world, depend on the unity of Europe and the world. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an online press conference for Danish media.
"It is important for me that we remain Ukrainians not only in our souls, but also on our land," he said.
The President stressed the importance of restoring territorial integrity.
According to him, the result of the war should be respect for the Ukrainian people, land and sovereignty of Ukraine.
"I understand that not all at once. I understand that this is a great challenge - the Russian Federation is fighting against us, whose army, as they say, is the second most powerful in the world," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The Head of State noted that Ukraine must be ready for any security challenge, so it must build its defense system so as to always be able to respond to a possible Russian invasion.
"In any case, a united Europe and a united world is the only possibility of a strong army on the territory of our state, a strong Ukrainian army," he added.
The President noted the efforts of world leaders to support the Ukrainian army and economy, as well as sanctions pressure on the aggressor state.
"There were concrete steps to strengthen our army with weapons. Then there were steps to strengthen our economy, financial support. And then there were steps to weaken the Russian economy. This is a policy of sanctions against Russia. It is in these three areas that we need the unity of the world and Europe. It is not easy, but our strength depends on it. The liberation of our territories from the Russian occupiers depends very much on this union… If everyone continues to be strong and united, we will definitely win this war,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President of Ukraine noted that much depends on the personal position of European leaders. In this context, he thanked for the help from Denmark, recalling that Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen visited our country in April, during a full-scale war.
As for granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership, according to the President, Denmark, which has questions about anti-corruption infrastructure, has incomplete information about the real state of affairs in our country.
"I think many EU countries don’t have such a developed anti-corruption infrastructure that works during the war and (worked - ed.) before the war as Ukraine has," he said.
In particular, according to the President, NABU, NACP and Supreme Anticorruption Court continue to work in our country despite an attempt to block the powers of some of them due to the decision of the Constitutional Court.
The Head of State emphasized that much had been done to reform the law enforcement and judicial systems in Ukraine. In particular, two main laws on judicial reform were passed and enacted, which could not be passed during the 30 years of independence.
"But everything we have done about the anti-corruption structure, judicial reform is not related to joining the EU. It is for ourselves, for Ukraine. We want Ukraine to be fast, modern, without any bureaucracy," he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also reminded that thanks to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, many public services for the citizens of Ukraine have become available online. This has reduced bureaucracy and corruption. And even during the full-scale war, the "Diia" public services portal is functioning effectively and expanding the list of services that Ukrainians can get online.
"I believe that because Ukraine fights and defends the values shared with the European Union, it should be at least a candidate for EU membership. Ukraine has long deserved to be a member of the EU, but there is a certain procedure," the President stressed.