Thank you so much.

Dear ladies and gentlemen, dear our friends, real friends and partners,

First of all, I want to thank you for supporting our platform – Crimea Platform. And this is already, by the way, the sixth meeting of our Crimea Platform, and today we have more than 60 participants here, including 16 leaders from every continent. And, for the first time, Panama – we are very happy to see you – and Trinidad and Tobago take part. The representation keeps growing, and today it’s the strongest we have had in all the years of the Crimea Platform. The biggest one. And this global presence really matters.

And this is not just yet another format. And it is not just an annual meeting. It’s a constant confirmation that you truly respect the basic principles of normal life, of normal human life.

Today, it almost sounds strange even to say the words “international law”. And almost no one in the world believes in international law anymore.

But we still do not want these words to lose their meaning completely. We want international law to have real force – this is what decides whether human life has any real value at all.

When we speak about international law, we mean this: we want Russia – which started this war and is stealing land – to be held responsible.

We want the people Russia keeps under occupation in Crimea and in other temporarily occupied parts of our country, in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, in our Ukrainian Donbas, and those Russia keeps in prisons and camps to at least have hope that one day, one day Russia will be held accountable for these crimes.

When we come together for meetings like this, when we see that the Crimea Platform brings together people, people like you, we know that hope is still there. And this is not something that matters only in a moral sense.

Today, as the world is struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and absolutely terrible price increases in energy and in food, all of this inevitably brings us back to Crimea. This is where it all began so many years ago, by the way, in 2014.

Crimea – our Crimea – is at the center of Putin’s war and of all the crises that come from the fighting in the Black Sea. If Russia had not stolen Crimea, if Putin had not turned Crimea into a source of war and a huge military base – grain and fertilizers, diesel and oil would now be moving freely across the Black Sea, just as they did before Putin’s war against us.

But he chose to break every possible rule. And now, on top of this, we see the war with Iran and other crises across the Middle East and the Gulf. They only add to what started so long ago with Putin’s belief that he could start a war and get away with it.

Today, people in many countries are paying more, paying more out of their own pockets just to live, while others are being forced to fight for their lives – simply because one man decided he could redraw borders however he wanted.

Year after year, we are forced to deal with the same problems again. Just as in 2022, now we’re once again working to secure the food corridor in the Black Sea – and the export of other goods that global markets really need.

And I am grateful to Europe and grateful to America – to everyone who is trying to help us. I am grateful to Türkiye, Egypt and other countries of the world…

We have discussed this with our partners. Many have already joined the work to protect food security and safe navigation in the Black Sea. Egypt, India, Türkiye have already put forward options for us. They are on paper. We agree with a path that can bring security, and now we are waiting for Russia’s response.

Ukraine is ready to do its part to ensure calm, safe shipping and food security in the Black Sea, if Russia is ready to take real steps toward de-escalation too.

We have to start somewhere – and Russia has to start by respecting others.

And basic respect for the world begins with simple things: food security, energy security, and the right of people to live without fear. Russia has to go through this change.

The disrespect began with Crimea in 2014, when Russia entered Crimea. So there can be no full return to normality without Crimea – without restoring security, protecting people and lives, freeing the prisoners Russia is holding, and returning to the basic principles of international law.

Territorial integrity matters. The sovereignty of states matters. Human lives matter. Russia has to learn this.

Today, we have someone here with us who knows exactly what that means – Daryna, a young woman from Crimea. She will tell you what it’s like – to live under occupation, to be intimidated, to face propaganda every day, which tries to change the way people think and feel, and still remain with Ukraine. Thank you so much. Thank you, Daryna. And I thank all of you who are helping us. Thank you for standing with us today, standing with Ukraine always.

Thank you for remembering Crimea. Ukrainian Crimea. Thank you!

Glory to Ukraine!