• Home
• News
• Speeches

Dear attendees!

Our dear Ukrainians!

Today is a day that very clearly shows how exactly we must defend Ukraine and from what. Since last night, Russia has not stopped attacking our state. "Shaheds" and missiles of various types - that is clear - are striking day and night Kharkiv, our Poltava region, the Zhytomyr region, many other cities and communities across Ukraine, as well as Kyiv and the region. And this is happening at a time when, without exaggeration, the entire world already seeks to bring this war - Russia's war against Ukraine - to an end. At a time when the destructive consequences of this war are also overlapping with other wars that are ongoing right now. And at a time when the team of the President of the United States, our team, and European teams have come as close as possible in a practical sense to resolving issues on security guarantees for Ukraine needed for peace to be truly reliable. Security guarantees must be a strong structure built on multiple components, primarily military ones. This concerns what partners are ready to do to prevent a renewed Russian aggression. Financial guarantees are needed so that every one of our warriors knows for certain that their service will be fully provided for. Of course, there must also be clear guarantees regarding the availability of weapons - both what we have in our arsenals, very concrete capabilities, and what we produce ourselves in Ukraine and together with partners. On each of the components of these guarantees, we are moving forward - in some areas faster, although, of course, it is not simple, that's clear - but we are working quite actively to ensure that Ukraine's security guarantees are, above all, reliable. But there must also be a strong moral component in Ukraine's security guarantees - a special one for all our people without exception and for the entire territory of our state. We must not allow anyone to forget that only Russia is responsible for this war. And that Russia moved gradually, step by step, toward full-scale war, and its first aggressive step was directed precisely against our Crimea. In the 1990s, during the Tuzla Island crisis, and later, Russia was laying the groundwork to take our Crimea. In 2014, it began exactly with this - with the Russian occupation of Crimea. And Russia did not stop at that step, precisely because instead of a strong moral response from the world, there was a weak and cynical reaction. Having seized Crimea back then, the Russians felt they could remain completely unpunished. The world did not respond as it should have. Russia felt as if it could calmly claim this "reward" for itself - our Crimea - while the world turned a blind eye. And war, unfortunately, always continues if the aggressor feels it can be forgiven for everything and even be gifted something.

Now we are fighting with the utmost principle so that the aggressor receives no reward for this war - so that Russia is truly held accountable for everything: for aggression against us, against our people, against all of Ukraine. And so that Russian crimes - against people, against the state, against sovereignty and independence, against our Crimea - do not go unpunished. And when we are sometimes asked to act weakly and cynically, we respond with full principle. Russia must not profit from war or because of war. Global sanctions must truly work. And Russian aggression must not be normalized by anyone in the world. The issue of our territorial integrity, Ukraine's sovereignty, our land, and all our people - and therefore the issue of our Crimea - is absolutely fundamental. We will certainly end this war with a dignified peace for Ukraine. And in order to prevent new Russian aggression, to prevent Russian missiles and occupiers, and to ensure sufficient safeguards against Russian aggression, there must also be a moral security guarantee for Ukraine, for Europe, and for the world - a guarantee that Russia will not be allowed by the world to consider any part of another country as if it were theirs, Russian. A guarantee that an aggressor will not grow stronger by stealing another people's land. A guarantee that Russia will not start demanding more from Ukraine or any other country in Europe, using missiles or any other form of Russian terror for blackmail.

Therefore, the question of our people, our land, and our Crimea must be met with a clear and principled answer: this is our state, our land, our Crimea. The Ukrainian people, the Indigenous peoples of Ukraine, and the Crimean Tatar people must not be deprived of their home. If the world allows Russia to take away one people's home, it will go on to take others - it has always done so - and we must ensure this never happens again. That is why security must be comprehensive and truly guaranteed. I ask you to continue to fight for this. I ask you to remain active and, when necessary, loud - so that all partners hear you clearly, even those who do not want to - and always principled, so that we achieve the results Ukraine needs. I am grateful to you for standing with Ukraine. I thank everyone who is fighting for our state, for Ukraine's independence, for our rights, and for our territorial integrity. I thank everyone who does not forget our people held in Russian captivity - in Russian camps and prisons. We must bring them all home.

I signed a decree that provides you with more real opportunities to defend our entire state - all of Ukraine and our Crimea - all our people and the Indigenous people, the Crimean Tatar people - our security and your security, our right to live freely on our land. The Mejlis has always been and remains the representative body of the Crimean Tatar people - this has been the case in practice, and we are now enshrining it legally and politically. So that your capabilities are strengthened, as well as our shared Ukrainian capabilities. We must put an end to Russian aggression, strikes, and abuse. We must guarantee all components of security for Ukraine. And we can achieve this only together - guided by principles - all of us in Ukraine, all of us in Europe, all of us around the world. If we continue to be as effective and active as possible and remain mindful of the lessons of the past. Thank you. Thank you for your activity. Thank you for your service to our state.

Glory to Ukraine.