“Let 2025 be our year, the year of Ukraine. We know that peace will not be given to us. But we will do everything to stop Russia and end the war. What each of us would like.”, — write: www.president.gov.ua
Dear people!
“Mother Ukraine” is behind me. Ukraine, which stands firmly on its feet. He does not bow his head, looks ahead, believes in his future and victory over all the evil that Russia has brought us. Ukraine, which is able to achieve a just peace, having a shield and a sword. Defending our people, our colors, our independence. Today I am addressing everyone who appreciates Ukraine, protects their country, says with love about it: “Mine.” I thank you for 2024. To our people who go through all the difficulties with dignity. People for whom being citizens of Ukraine is a matter of pride. And for me, pride is to be the President of such people, Ukrainian men and women, who prove: no cruise missiles can defeat a people who have wings.
During this leap year, we proved it every day. And they saw it yesterday. When they were blessed with happiness, because 189 Ukrainians returned to their native land from captivity. Because they will welcome the New Year at home. Because we return ours. 1358 people this year. 3956 Ukrainians during this time. And I am not giving approximate numbers, but very precise numbers, because each of them is a person, our person, a very important person. And with the return of each one, we bring life back to Ukraine.
And like every time it happens, we all cry. It doesn’t matter if it’s an emotional mother, or a child who has waited for a daddy, or the President of Ukraine, we all cry, because we are all human and have kept the light inside us.
And it helped us endure these more than a thousand days. To be brave when it is so necessary. Being strong when it matters most. As did our teachers, our doctors, our energy workers, our transporters, as did all our PPOshniks, mobile fire groups. Guys who shot down 1,310 cruise and ballistic missiles, 7,800 Iranian “martyrs” this year. Bravo! Pride! Thank you! We went through this year together. We overcame together everything that 2024 brought. Victories and failures. Joys and challenges. Tears of happiness when we succeeded. And tears of pain when we were wounded – in the heart.
July. Morning. “Okhmatdit”. This is how weaklings and cowards fight. And we will never forget those children’s eyes. And we will never forgive them! When evil brings death, our response is a living chain. This is what the strength of Ukrainians looks like. And our unity was visible from space. God saw her. He saw what kind of people we have. What children we have. And I will not forget those incredibly mature and strong eyes of the boy from “Okhmatdyt”. How much life, energy, dignity is in it! And how much stronger this child alone is than Putin! How much stronger all our children are than all their evil. Ukrainian boys and girls who win this war, acquire knowledge online and even in underground schools, win world science olympiads, raise funds for our army, invent technical solutions that help our defense. You are a fantastic generation! This is who we are fighting for. This is who our heroes, our warriors protect first of all. Who stands alone and holds independence on his shoulders. Where will and bravery fight every day, and now – on this New Year’s Eve. On all our directions. On everyone. In the east, where right now it is very, very difficult and very difficult. But we believe, we know: persevere. Our boys will stand. Your spirit and courage will endure. All that, thanks to which you did not give up our Sumy and Kharkiv, our Kherson and our Zaporizhzhia this year. And the Russians really wanted it. Instead, you paid the occupiers a debt, bringing the war back home to Russia. And the one who sowed trouble on our land got it on his own. In Kurshchyna and other places where our answer, our justice, flew this year.
Justice. Just one word, but hundreds of thousands of our people stand behind it. Our “defense” is our science. Whose mind and work made us stronger, because 30% of everything that our guys had on the battlefield this year was made in Ukraine.
And at one such plant, I asked a young engineer: “How did you manage so much, how did these people manage to do so much?”. And the boy joked: “Well, they’re not just people, they’re rockets.”
And you know, at that moment I felt ashamed as a citizen that since the 90s the state did not notice such people of ours. And I am proud when, meeting with them all year, I hear: they are happy that Ukraine needs them. And that Ukraine is again building its own missiles. And for the first time, it makes more than a million UAVs in a year. Forces the enemy to learn Ukrainian. “Palyanytsia”, “Hell”, “Ruta”. The words “Neptune” and “Peregrine falcon” make you shudder. All these are our rockets. Ukrainian. Horus, Vampire, Hummingbird, Pebble, Furious, Heavy Shot, Fire Point. All these are our drones. Ukrainian. And all these are our arguments, arguments for a just peace.
Only the strong get it. And the fact that we are such has been proven more than once. Our athletes. Oleksandr Khizhnyak, our Tank. Olga Harlan, Yaroslava Maguchih, all our Olympians and Paralympians, for whom we cheered so much, were worried, shouted so much with joy and pride when the blue-yellow flag was raised. We held shots and served together with Oleksandr Usyk. All this is about something more than just sports. It’s about our character. About who we are and what we are capable of. Meanings and symbols. About the fact that Sashko’s battles, like the daily battles of all of Ukraine, show us: it doesn’t matter how much the enemy is bigger than you, what matters is how much bigger your will is. Then it takes the whole world’s breath away! And all the leaders frankly told me: “We have never seen anything like this – when the full hall of Notre Dame de Paris applauds.” And it was applause for you. To all our people. This is how respect for Ukraine sounds. This is what independence is.
It’s when we don’t give ours. And when we don’t forget our own. Those who are in captivity. And we will fight for every person who, unfortunately, is still there. And we will fight for all those whom Russia forced into occupation, but could not occupy their Ukrainian hearts. And no matter how much evil hands out passports under the muzzle of machine guns, our people say: “You are not native here, you are temporary.” And all that imported weed will not take root on our land, will not defeat the indigenous ones. And I always remember the story about our one Ukrainian grandfather, who was asked by the occupiers: “What time is it?” And they heard the answer: “It’s time to dump from our land.” This is the will inside that simply cannot be occupied. And I appeal to everyone who carries this will in the temporarily occupied territories. Dear Ukrainians! I know that you meet the New Year according to our time and now you hear these words. In our Crimea, in the Donbass, in Melitopol, in Mariupol – wherever Ukraine is waiting. And where one day Ukraine will return to be together. And the only thing that will divide Ukrainians is a generously laid table.
I know: all our people will be at this table. Those who are now abroad, but have kept Ukraine within themselves. So today, in the first minute of the new year, “She’s not dead yet…” will be heard in Warsaw, New York or Buenos Aires. In Berlin, Prague or Tokyo today they will say: “Glory to Ukraine!” And the world will answer: “Glory to the heroes!” Because Ukraine is not alone. Because with us – our friends And from the first minutes of this war, America was with Ukraine. And I believe that America will be with Ukraine even in the first moments of peace.
I remember talking to Joe Biden after the Russian invasion. I remember a conversation with Donald Trump after his election. All conversations with congressmen, senators, ordinary Americans, with everyone who supports us in the USA, Europe, the world – in these many and different conversations, there was always unity in the main thing: Putin cannot win. Ukraine will prevail. Putin must not win. Ukraine will win.
I thank all Americans for living up to these words. I have no doubt that the new American President wants and will be able to bring peace and put an end to Putin’s aggression. He understands that the first is impossible without the second. Because this is not a street showdown where two sides need to be calmed down. This is a full-scale aggression of a mad state against a civilized one. And I believe that we, together with the United States, are capable of this power. Force Russia to a just peace. That is, not to forget and not to nullify everything that Russia has done. Bucha, Olenivka, Avdiivka, all our destroyed towns and villages. That is why a truly just peace cannot be achieved by the principle of “starting with a clean slate.” Because the score is not 0:0. There are thousands, thousands of Ukrainians whose lives were stolen by Russia.
And today, the heart of Ukraine is full of scars. These are the names of our fallen heroes. God forbid that any family in the world should experience such losses. I would not wish any leader in the world to go through this feeling – at the moment when awards are presented posthumously. You see the eyes of the mother, wife, and child of a soldier who gave his life for Ukraine, and you hear from them: “Please, let it all not be in vain.” Thousands of our boys and girls did not disappear into oblivion. They are with us, they are near, always, they look at us from heaven. And we have no right to let them down and cannot betray their feat and memory.
And every day in the next year, I, all of us, have to fight for Ukraine, which will be strong enough. Because only such Ukraine is respected and heard. Both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.
I thank everyone who was with us this year. To our partners, allies, friends, leaders. Really to the leaders. Not because it is customary to address them in this way, but because they prove their leadership by deed. Who was not afraid to come to Ukraine, knowing how valuable it is to see us side by side. With whom, despite the distance and time difference, we worked, found solutions and achieved results. Patriots, irises, nasams, atakams, F-16s, scalps, storm shadows. Czech initiative and a million shells. The Danish model and hundreds of millions in our domestic production. 27 security agreements and 40 billion to support our army. European Union and 50 billion to support our economy. “Big Seven” and the decision on 50 billion dollars of frozen Russian assets. This is our big international work. This is our big international victory. Thanks to the partners, thanks to you for this, thanks to the team. Army, government, office, parliament, regions, communities, volunteers. To everyone who makes our country stronger on the inside, cares about the people.
Thanks to everyone, thanks to whom Ukraine stands and endures. Overcomes his way to peace, a strong Ukraine. And to European Ukraine. And these are not just words – they are a reality that came in June of this year with the opening of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. And this is a historical result. This path is already irreversible. And Ukraine will be in the European Union. And one day Ukraine will be in NATO and strengthen the Alliance. It will strengthen the stability of the world. The unity of Europe, which determines the fate of every nation on the continent. And everyone should respect this unity. And Budapest with Bratislava. I know that both the Hungarian and Slovak peoples are actually with us, with Ukraine, with Ukrainians, on the side of truth. The authorities of these countries must also recognize the truth. There is no need to fear that Ukraine will be in Europe. Everything must be done so that there is no Russia in Europe. Her tanks, her missiles and the evil that she will certainly carry on if Ukraine does not stand up. If today Russia shakes your hand, it does not mean that tomorrow it will not start killing you with the same hand. Because Russians are afraid of the free. What they are not familiar with. They are afraid of freedom. They were born for Putin, went to school for Putin, went to serve for Putin and are dying for his sick ideas.
And that is why it is so important today to support all peoples who stand for freedom. Who does not give it away in Chisinau. Who is fighting for his future in Tbilisi. And I am sure that the day will come when we will all say: “Long live Belarus!”
Dear Ukrainians, dear Ukrainian women!
Let 2025 be our year, the year of Ukraine. We know that peace will not be given to us. But we will do everything to stop Russia and end the war. What each of us would like.
“Mother Ukraine” is behind each of us. And she deserved to live in peace. I wish that to all of us. Both as the President of Ukraine and as a citizen, I will do everything for this next year. Knowing that I will not be alone. I know that you are side by side with me – millions of Ukrainians. Strong free Beautiful. Independent.
Happy New Year, dear people!
Happy New Year, Ukraine!
Glory to Ukraine!
