In all countries where there are Ukrainian diplomatic missions, the issue of restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine and returning Donbas and Crimea should be raised at every opportunity, so that the world coalition in support of our state is preserved, strengthened and enlarged. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a video conference of heads of foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine, which began in Kyiv.
"Today, our key foreign policy priority is to establish peace, restore Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. We are a country that opposes the hybrid war of the Russian Federation. And these are not only hostile actions against our independence, against Ukraine. This is a challenge to the entire civilized world community," he said in his speech.
The Head of State stresses that Ukraine works hard to ensure that the agreements of the leaders of the "Normandy Four" in Paris are implemented. He reminded that within a year since that meeting they managed to return almost a hundred Ukrainian citizens from captivity, ensure the longest ceasefire in all the years of the war, and the ultimate task is to end the war and ensure peace on Ukrainian terms.
According to the President, the issue of continuing sanctions remains on the agenda. Further work on bringing the Russian Federation to legal responsibility for violations of international law is also fundamentally important.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also asked the ambassadors to work actively to attract the assistance of Ukraine's partners to restore Donbas.
"Already today we have to think how to restore order in the peaceful Donbas and how to restore peace in our Donbas. We are already organizing the controlled territory of Donbas, which was affected by this war. We do this through the efforts of the state, business, and at the expense of our international partners and their assistance. The results are seen by our citizens on both sides of the touch line. And when we return to the entire occupied Ukrainian Donbas tomorrow, we must immediately begin its restoration, its reconstruction," he said.
The President noted that this whole set of tasks is not only for the ambassadors of Ukraine in Berlin and Paris, who, in his opinion, perform them perfectly.
"This is a task for almost every ambassador and representative of Ukraine to the international organization. Someone's country can help financially, someone's can help politically, there have been historical examples of reconciliation and post-war reconstruction. And some countries are still facing these conflicts. Therefore, please, I beg you, express your suggestions, we hear them, we are ready to consider them. Suggest your ideas, because the result should be provided already now," he urged.
The Head of State also stressed the importance of further work on the liberation of the Ukrainian Crimea. He noted that today this issue is back on the international agenda.
"The Crimean platform, our initiative to consolidate international efforts to deoccupy Crimea, is gaining momentum. This initiative has already been supported by our partners in Europe and North America. I urge you to work more actively to involve countries from other regions," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
He reminded that this year the UN General Assembly adopted two very important Crimean resolutions: "Problem of the militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea" and "Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea".
According to the President, it is important that all international partners of Ukraine know about the content of these resolutions.
"This is the key task for our Permanent Representative to the UN, who, by the way, performs it brilliantly. But the task is not just for him. Each of you should inform of the content of the documents initiated by Ukraine in the capitals of your host countries. Such resolutions are your important main theses for the meetings at local foreign ministries and with the leadership of the host countries," the President said, addressing the Ukrainian ambassadors.