Glory to Ukraine!

Dear Ukrainians, ladies and gentlemen!

We have just heard our national anthem. Written more than 150 years ago, it continues to inspire millions today.

We are standing now in the heart of our free Ukrainian Kyiv. Beside us is St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery. This magnificent landmark was founded nine centuries ago.

All of this is taking place on a very important day – the Day of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus–Ukraine – an event of historic importance for Christianity and for all of Europe. It happened here, in our city, on these hills of ours, more than a thousand years ago, in the time of our Volodymyr the Great. And it is his symbol – the trident – that is our national coat of arms. It is also displayed on the patches of our warriors who are here today and who are defending Ukraine. Thank you to our warriors!

All of this – and hundreds of other examples of such continuity – is more than a set of beautiful parallels. And it is certainly not a coincidence, but a natural connection between all generations of Ukrainians. An energy that has flowed for centuries through the unbroken history of our spirit, our state, and Europe, among all Ukrainians who have lived on this land of ours, who live on this land today, and who will live on this land in the future. That is what this important day is about. The Day of the Baptism of Rus–Ukraine. The day of our statehood.

Dear attendees, dear citizens, all our warriors, medics, first responders, clergy, government officials, and members of parliament!

Mr. Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada!

Madam President of the European Commission, dear Ursula! Thank you all for joining us today! Thank you very much!

All the distinguished guests of our country who are here with us in Kyiv, marking Ukrainian Statehood Day together with our people and Ukraine!

Mr. President of Romania, dear Nicușor!

Madam President of Moldova, dear Maia!

Mr. President of Albania, dear Bajram!

Mr. Prime Minister of Croatia, dear Andrej!

Mr. Prime Minister of Slovenia, dear Janez!

Distinguished friends of Ukraine from Spain, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, and France!

The Pope’s Special Envoy, Cardinal Zuppi!

Thank you for being here today – with Ukraine – thank you! The distance between our countries does not diminish the closeness of our states and peoples. Your presence is proof that, politically, spiritually, and simply on a human level, which is very important, we are all fighting for the same thing: for a Europe without war – something that is impossible without a strong and peaceful Ukraine. Thank you for standing with us on this day.

July 15. Ukraine marks Ukrainian Statehood Day. We are proud to be the heirs of Kyivan Rus and the Cossack state, and to have a thousand years of experience in building our state. A thousand years of courage, of the desire to live in freedom, to live as a sovereign and independent nation, to follow only our own path, and to be who we are – to be Ukraine, to be Ukrainians. We are proud of what everyone has witnessed throughout the full-scale war – Ukraine’s thousand-year-old character.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Ukraine respects its history. It remembers every joy and every pain our people have had to endure. But we do not live constantly looking back. We are not focused solely on the history that has already been written. We are shaping Ukraine’s history – the history being written today and the history yet to come. A state that will succeed. An independence that will be guaranteed.

We are building a state that has enough strength and self-respect to do both at once: preserve its heritage and pursue ambitious plans. A Ukraine that values its past and believes in its own future. A state that is not afraid of the phrase “for the first time” – and that, for the first time, is doing what until recently could only have been a dream. We are shaping this reality – a reality of unwavering respect for us, for Ukraine, for our people.

A few hours ago, we returned from France, where, for the first time, Ukrainian warriors took part in the ceremonial military parade on the Champs-Élysées. For the first time, our combat pilots flew Mirage fighter jets over Paris – for the first time. I want to thank the President of France, Emmanuel, for this invitation, for this honor, and for this respect that, I am certain, Ukraine has fully earned through its courage, its fight, and its readiness to take the lead in processes that will shape Europe’s future.

For the first time, Ukraine and Europe will build an anti-ballistic shield together. A historic project in which Ukraine is not an observer, but one of the leaders – bringing together countries and Europe’s strongest defense companies. The FREYJA project has been launched. We will do everything necessary to build Europe’s anti-ballistic system by integrating all European anti-ballistic capabilities. So that the skies over our nations are protected. So that dictators cannot dictate how free people in Europe should live. So that the lives of people in Ukraine and in every European country do not depend on whether Putin and those like him have ballistic missiles or not.

Toward that same goal, Ukraine is also fighting to secure protection for itself across the Atlantic. For the first time, Ukraine is moving closer to the possibility of producing missiles for Patriot systems and could become the third country in history to secure such an agreement and such a privilege.

I want to thank the President of the United States for this political decision, which is already historic and will help save thousands of lives in Ukraine. It is crucial that our two sides and our teams succeed in seeing this through, and that Patriot missiles bearing the words “Made in Ukraine” become a reality as soon as possible.

This is the reality that will bring security and the triumph of life in Ukraine closer – in which our people, our cities and squares, and all this beauty you see around you now will finally see peaceful days and nights.

Toward that same goal, Ukraine is also building up its own strength. For the first time, Ukraine is developing its own ballistic missiles and deep-strike capabilities. These are not merely systems under development, but real capabilities that are already operational and reaching distances that were previously unattainable: 2,884 kilometers. That is the distance from here to the Omsk oil refinery. This is simply a historic range, historic precision. Thank you to everyone who made it possible! And unlike Russia, which wages war against residential buildings, schools, and churches, Ukraine strikes the “sponsors” of Putin’s war and the tools that help him kill people.

There are no longer any coordinates in the territory of evil that are beyond the reach of Ukrainian justice. Five hundred of our drones a day, dozens of their oil refineries, shadow fleet tankers, and Russia’s military infrastructure have all felt firsthand that it’s not worth encroaching on Ukrainian statehood.

Every day, we see these results and such accuracy. Some say that, with modern technology, we are sending Russia back to the Middle Ages. Others recall Napoleon and the days when Moscow was ablaze. But for us – and I want everyone to know this – for Ukraine, it is not comparisons or grand rhetoric that matter. What matters most is the result. Our ultimate goal is not Russia without gasoline, but Ukraine without Russia. Ukraine without war. Ukraine with Europe. And Ukraine and Europe without the threat from Moscow.

I want to thank every leader who is doing everything possible for our shared security and everything necessary for Ukraine. SAMP/T, IRIS-T, NASAMS, Patriots, and Hawks – so many different systems. We thank our partners. All the capabilities now helping Ukraine are, without question, invaluable. And none of this is a noble gesture today. The world sees who truly stands for justice in this war and who genuinely wants peace. It is Ukraine. A state that did not simply wait for help, which is so important, but united the world for the sake of life. A state that learned to rely first and foremost on its own strength – on itself and on its people. People who definitely give us new reasons to be proud every single day. People who have made the phrase “for the first time” our brother-in-arms.

I remember when I first publicly announced our national plan: one million drones a year. There was a great deal of skepticism – everywhere, honestly, both abroad and inside the country. Today, we can state the fact: we are producing 10 million drones a year. Ten. And we will produce 20 million. We will do this together with our partners and once again prove the strength of our defense industries – Ukrainian, allied, European.

Even as I speak, our robotic systems are carrying out extremely important missions on the front. Altogether, they have already completed tens of thousands of such missions. For the first time, Ukraine has fundamentally transformed the battlefield. And this is about far more than impressive Hollywood stories about robots. It is about saving lives – the lives of our warriors, and that's the reality – tens of thousands of times over.

The same is true of our interceptors. There is the simple fact: Ukrainian interceptors are already shooting down at least 90% of “shahed” drones. But there is also what lies behind that fact – something deeply important: people, our people, who remain alive. Every time one of these Russian targets fails to reach its destination, someone’s life remains intact.

At the beginning of the war, the “Russian warship” stood off Zmiinyi Island and, as we all remember – and as has been recalled many times – brazenly ordered our Ukrainian warriors to lay down their arms, only to be told exactly where it should go. Today, that phrase is being heard again – often and in a different language. In the language of the precision of our naval drones. In the thunder of every strike delivered by our Neptunes, Harpoons, and every Ukrainian weapon that justly punishes the occupiers. And in the language of sanctions that are hitting Russia hard and depriving Putin of the money he needs to wage this war.

All of this is our shared work and our shared “we did it.” This is Ukraine today. A state that was given 72 hours, yet has stood firm through 12 years of Russian aggression and 1,603 days of full-scale war. Russia started this war and called it an “SVO.” Even in that, they sought to humiliate our statehood and portray Ukraine as incapable and weak. Their plan to seize our country was designed to take three days. As though some mere operation on some piece of land – supposedly gifted to us by someone – would be enough.

Today, even Russian state propagandists admit that Ukraine is a strong state – one that Russia cannot and will not defeat. A state Europe needs. A state NATO needs. A state that does not wait, but creates; that does not ask – but offers: unique experience, technologies, capabilities, and a unique security and political partnership. And today, Ukraine is equally proud of the events that took place here more than a thousand years ago and of the operations our state carries out more than a thousand kilometers beyond our border.

All of this is our state – Ukraine in 2026 – a country that understands perfectly well that it is people who give any technology its value. Without them, no innovation would make sense. People without whom Ukraine would have no meaning – because without them, it would have no statehood, no freedom, no independence.

They are all those without whom Ukraine would not be Ukraine. Our people – who work for the sake of Ukraine every day and every night. Our cities. Our strong Kharkiv, which has proven that geographic proximity to Russia does not mean mental proximity. And every day, life prevails in Ukrainian Kharkiv. Our strong Dnipro, which never stops for a moment, traditionally drives our economy forward and saves thousands of our wounded heroic warriors. Our strong Odesa – our gateway to the sea, a glorious city on our Black Sea coast – which endured yet another brutal strike today. Russian missiles targeting ordinary homes. My condolences to all those who lost loved ones.

Our strong Sumy, our Chernihiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Mykolaiv, which, despite everything, are holding firm, living, building, and educating our children. Sadly – in underground schools – but fortunately, they are still being educated. Unconquered – because they are resilient and incredible. Every such Ukrainian city, every community, every village where people find the strength each morning to work and create – whether they make weapons or bake bread – is part of our shared effort to strengthen the state and bring peace closer.

For all of this – for every such moment – we are grateful to our defenders. To all our Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine. To every man and woman who defends our land, protects lives, upholds law and order in Ukraine, holds the front, shields our skies, and fights the enemy every day and every night – so that this Ukrainian Statehood Day, and every day in Ukraine’s future, can be possible. It is a great honor for me to recognize such people today.

Glory to Ukraine!

 

Dear Ukrainians!

This day always carries many meanings. Today, we speak about our past, our present, and, of course, our future. And today, we will see that future before our eyes – as our young Ukrainians receive their first Ukrainian passports.

It is always a very joyful and truly moving moment to see the eyes of these young boys and girls filled with dreams, plans, and such an important sense of confidence – confidence in Ukraine – and the absence of any doubt about what our state’s future should be. A peaceful future. A European future.

Dear Ursula!

I remember February 28, 2022, very clearly. In the Office of the President, amid fortifications and sandbags, Ruslan Oleksiiovych, Denys Anatoliiovych, and I – along with many brave armed men – submitted an application for membership in the European Union on behalf of and with the support of the entire Ukrainian people. Russian forces were on the outskirts of Kyiv, yet we submitted our application. There were air strikes, and, of course, mortal danger was everywhere around us. But we had faith, a dream, and the certainty that Ukraine would endure – and that Ukraine had undoubtedly earned the right to be part of our shared European home.

I remember speaking about this on March 1, 2022, in my address to the European Parliament – long before believing in Ukraine and supporting Ukraine became mainstream. And I remember very well who was skeptical and who truly never doubted our people or Ukraine. Ursula, I want to thank you for always believing in us. Thank you! Thank you for walking this path together with us: the application, candidate status, accession negotiations, opening of two clusters and every one that follows – that’s definitely going to happen. Yet long before any of this, it had already become clear that the hearts of Ukraine and Europe had long been open to one another.

Opening all the clusters will simply formalize this. We are certain of it. Because Ukraine and Europe are one. And on this difficult path, Ukraine is not alone. Ukraine deeply values everyone who helps us move forward along this road. And we will always remember their contribution to our shared future. As of today, these are no longer just words – this has now been officially recognized.

I have signed the relevant law. It is a great honor to present Ursula here today with Ukraine’s first Order of Europe.

Dear Ursula!

This is an honor that no one will ever be able to revoke or take away from you, because Ukraine stands by its word.

Dear friends of Ukraine! Dear fellow citizens!

July 15 holds a special, twofold meaning. This is the Day of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus–Ukraine. We ask God for peace in our land. On Ukrainian Statehood Day, we thank everyone who is fighting for that peace and bringing it closer.

Ukraine is fighting for its future with redoubled strength because we live in times that demand twice the resilience, resolve, and endurance from us. And we must safeguard our Ukrainian unity with twice the care – a unity that must remain unwavering. Regardless of positions, changes, new challenges, or tasks, our unity remains unchanged. Because only by preserving it can we preserve the strength needed to achieve that very day when Ukraine secures its dignified, strong peace. We believe in it, and we are bringing it closer. Let us protect our statehood, our freedom, one another, and our Ukraine.

Happy Day of the Baptism of Rus–Ukraine!

Happy Ukrainian Statehood Day!

Glory to Ukraine!