President's Address to the Nation on Independence Day
President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to the people of Ukraine from Independence Square, highlighting that this place symbolizes the independence of our nation.
He made this statement in his address on the occasion of Independence Day.
«We are building a Ukraine that will have enough strength and power to live in safety and peace. So that on this square, in the square of our independence, under our flags, on our land, our children and grandchildren will celebrate Independence Day. In peace. In tranquility. With confidence in the future. With respect. And with gratitude to all who defended Ukraine in this war for independence, who stood firm, who could, who won», - Zelensky said.
He emphasized that it is worth living for such a goal. «This is what we stand for», - the President stated.
Zelensky noted that Ukraine will never again be forced into the shame that the «Russians» call a «compromise».
«We need a just peace. It is only for us to decide what our future will be. And the world knows this. And the world respects this. It respects Ukraine. It accepts Ukraine as an equal», - the President stressed.
According to him, this is the Ukraine he represented a week ago in the United States.
«Today, both the USA and Europe agree: Ukraine has not yet won, but it certainly will not lose. Ukraine has fought for its independence. Ukraine is not a victim; it is a fighter. Ukraine does not ask; it offers. Alliances and partnerships. The best army in Europe. Advanced defense technologies. Resilience experience. We say: «We need the EU». Yes. But we are also needed by it. And everyone acknowledges this. And this is how Ukraine is recognized: not as a poor relative, but as a strong ally», - Zelensky declared in his address.
He assured that Ukraine will achieve a stable, reliable, long-lasting peace.
«Ukraine will achieve it because it will receive security guarantees. Guarantees so strong that no one in the world will even think of attacking Ukraine. This is not only our goal, but also what we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren: a strong Ukraine, an equal Ukraine, a European Ukraine, an independent Ukraine», - the head of state assured.
We remind you that on August 24, Ukraine celebrates the 34th anniversary of its independence proclamation. This holiday was established in honor of the adoption of the Act of Proclamation of Independence of Ukraine by the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR on August 24, 1991 - a political and legal document that confirmed the new status of the state. This status was definitively confirmed by the nationwide referendum on December 1, 1991, when 90.32% of citizens supported independence. This year, the national holiday is being celebrated for the fourth time under the conditions of a full-scale war that Russia has unleashed against the Ukrainian people.
