In Paris, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with students from the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) and other French universities that are members of the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies, implemented with the support of the First Lady Olena Zelenska. More than 500 students attended the meeting in person, including Ukrainians studying at French universities, while over 5,000 students joined online.
The Head of State expressed gratitude to France, particularly to President Emmanuel Macron and, above all, to the French people, for their support of Ukraine from the very start of Russia’s full-scale aggression.
“The war is not over yet, but we have endured and preserved our independence. I am confident that this is already a major victory for the world. Because it is a powerful example of whether to let the Russians consume us or to stand firm – a powerful example for other democracies and other free nations. Therefore, I am grateful to everyone,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President stressed that the war has focused Ukrainians on core values.
“The meaning of the word ‘freedom’ is not abstract. Democracy is not abstract. Human rights are not abstract. Ukraine today stands apart from other countries because it has paid a high price for these values – unfortunately, in human lives,” the Head of State said.
The discussion also addressed the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. The President highlighted three of the most difficult obstacles to this: adoption, where Russians change children’s citizenship and identity documents; recruitment into the Russian army of adolescents who have reached adulthood during the Russian aggression; and the impossibility of compelling the aggressor country to return children through exchanges, as is done with prisoners of war.
“This issue with the children is multifaceted. And the hardest part is that when we negotiate, for example, the exchange of prisoners of war, we cannot negotiate an exchange of children. I mean, exchanging prisoners is difficult, but there is a light: you understand the path. And what do we do with the children? How do we bring them back? This is a very serious problem,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.
The meeting also covered the creation of the necessary conditions for achieving a dignified peace. The President emphasized that the war must end in a way that ensures justice prevails and all perpetrators are held accountable.
The impact of the situation in the Middle East on the war in Ukraine was also discussed. According to the President, the availability of air defense systems may decrease. Moreover, this creates challenges for global security.
“The world’s attention is shifting to the Middle East, which is not very good for us. Because Ukraine needs protection against drones and missiles. We require sufficient numbers of PAC-2 and PAC-3 – Patriot missiles. These missiles are limited in the world, and this limited supply will inevitably be divided among several parties,” the Head of State noted.
A separate focus was Ukraine’s integration into the European Union. Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that even during wartime, Ukraine is making key decisions that bring us closer to the EU.
“For Ukraine, the European Union has become more than just membership. During the war, it represents a major geopolitical choice of our nation: the choice not to be with Russia, but the choice to be with Europe,” the President said.
