Fellow Ukrainians, each and every one of our warriors,
Dear friends of Ukraine – everyone present here, everyone who helps our country and, through that help, preserves the best qualities of human nature,
Today marks 35 years of our independence. Thirty-five years since the Act of Declaration of Independence of our state, independence of Ukraine was adopted. Before that, many did not believe that Ukraine would become independent. At the time, the world’s most capable intelligence services did not give their presidents, their leaders, a confident assessment that Ukraine would truly become independent. But Ukrainians restored the independence of their country. Ukrainians preserved the independence of their country. And we will certainly defend Ukraine’s independence. There is no doubt about that. Ukraine will always be independent.
Thirty-five years of independence – for us, this is not simply some single period in the history of our region and Europe. It is not something accidental, and certainly not something that can be left behind somewhere after the next sharp turn of history. Those whose minds are still deeply rooted in the 20th century and earlier eras, and who long for the times when a handful of figures could divide half the world among themselves, may simply not understand what our confidence is based on. But that is, in fact, entirely their problem, not ours – the problem is that they are isolated from reality and hardly ever encounter people like you and other truly freedom-loving people; they hear no one but themselves and do not feel the strength – the very strength – of dreams like those shared by millions of Ukrainians and millions of other free people around the world – the dream of living our own lives and making sure that our children can live. Live – not become asphalt beneath someone’s feet, beneath someone’s tanks, beneath someone’s empire. Our Sophia Square has already borne witness to this very dream time and again. Many words and many hopes have been voiced in this square. But now a fact is being voiced here – a fact proven by the strength and resilience of our people in the full-scale war. Ukrainians will not be paving stones under the feet of tsars and rulers. Ukrainians will not be bargaining chips in disputes between capitals. Ukrainians will not submit to what they do not believe in, and they certainly will not abandon their dream – the dream of living, the dream of living independently.
Today, the mother of Hero of Ukraine Nazarii Hryntsevych is here with us. Nazarii was born in 2003. Today, here on Sophia Square, the family of Hero of Ukraine Stepan Chubenko is with us. He was born in 1997. Nazarii and Stepan – and millions of our young men and women – did not witness that historic day in 1991 that marked the beginning of the restoration of Ukraine’s independence. They did not personally know those who wrote the Act of Declaration of Independence and those who established the first fundamental ties between the newly independent Ukraine and the world, defending Ukraine’s right to be itself. But they had that same spirit that preserved the strength of our people, gives voice to the will of our people at defining moments in history, and guided Ukraine through all the extraordinary ordeals toward the restoration of Ukraine’s independence. They had that same faith in Ukraine that preserves all of this – our Sophia and our capital, our positions and our state. They had that same courage that unites Ukrainian heroes across different eras and really does inspire the world so strongly to stand with us, to stand with Ukraine. We are confident in Ukraine because we are confident in our people who will not betray it – in millions of such people. People who may come from Vinnytsia or Kramatorsk, Dnipro or Zaporizhzhia, Odesa or Kharkiv, Lviv or Kyiv, Sevastopol or Uzhhorod, but who are equally Ukrainian, equally courageous, and equally dreamers – in the strong sense of the word – people who do not give up when the dream and Ukraine must be defended.
Today, I want to thank all such people of ours – for the fact that Ukraine exists, and Ukraine always will. Thank you. Today, I want to thank every mother and every father of our Ukrainian defenders, our Ukrainian heroes – every family of ours that raised their children to be people – strong, genuine People, with a capital P, with big hearts and a great country. Thank you. I want to thank each and every person who makes a personal contribution to ensuring that Ukraine not only preserves but steadily strengthens its independence. Thank you for being there for us, for Ukraine, and for making our country proud of you.
Now, I ask everyone to honor the memory of those of our people who, defending our country, defending our blue-and-yellow colors, and defending our independence, gave their lives… Gave their lives so that Ukraine could live. And now, I ask you to remember them and honor them with a moment of silence.
Thank you.
Dear attendees, dear Ukrainians,
On the occasion of our greatest national holiday, we are presenting Ukrainian state awards to those people without whom Ukraine would not exist, and to those whose destinies largely determine what kind of country Ukraine will be. Our warriors, our civilians – those who have done and continue to do everything so that Ukraine exists in this world, so that it is truly free, and so that the name of Ukraine is spoken with pride, as it is now around the world. Let us thank such people together.
Dear attendees,
Dear warriors, distinguished guests, dear government officials, dear members of parliament, dear Ukrainians,
Friends of Ukraine – leaders who are here with us now – all those who, since 2022 and to this day, have remained firmly committed to the idea that every nation, every family, and every person has the right to live freely,
We all understand that in this Russian war against us, against Ukraine, much more is at stake than the future of Ukraine and Eastern Europe. There is always a risk nearby that someone will try to quiet this war at the expense of our Ukrainian independence and the lives of our Ukrainian people. We are not countering this risk alone. And we are not strengthening our people alone. And we believe that, together with our friends and partners, we will certainly succeed in achieving a dignified peace for our state. In a war like this, no nation’s own weapons alone would have been enough. No nation could withstand strikes this severe without the help of the world. No people should be left without support when such brutality – such a war – is being waged against them. From its very first moments, we have invested in unity with the world in a way that Ukrainians, in fact, had never been able to do before. For the fifth year now, we have been doing everything to ensure that our people have enough weapons and all the capabilities they need to preserve Ukraine and drive the enemy back, drive Russia back. We in Ukraine are grateful to everyone in the world, everyone in Europe, everyone who, in their hearts, shares our dream of a free and dignified human life, of a free and dignified national life. Today, these very friends of Ukraine are here with us, on Sophia Square, on this day when, indeed, people from every corner of the world extend greetings to us, to Ukrainians, to our state, respect Ukraine, want to engage with us, with Ukraine, because they know Ukraine – they know what kind of country we are and what we are truly capable of. Today, we will see Ukrainian might. What we use to protect the lives of our people. What makes this war distinctive now. And what, after this war, will enable Ukraine to become a true security provider for its partners, for its friends first and foremost – for our Europe, for everyone who has helped us from the beginning of the war, and everyone who has helped us now. Ukraine knows how to be grateful. Ukraine knows how to be strong. Of course, now is not the time to boast. But we have something to show. We have reasons to thank the Ukrainians who produce and use our weapons. We have the means to defend Ukraine’s independence.
Distinguished guests, dear Ukrainians,
Now, I would like to thank those leaders and those nations who, without hesitation, supported our country and our people, our independence, and who came to Ukraine today to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence with us. Thank you.
