Day 38 of the war. Address of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Ukrainians

Ukrainians, men and women, strong people of an unbreakable country. Another day of our defense has passed. One more day of many that gradually, painfully, but relentlessly bring us closer to peace. To a peace that no one will give us. We must realize this very clearly with you. Because there are no entities in the world capable of stopping wars and gifting peace. The global security architecture proved incapable.

Peace for us will not be the result of some decisions by the enemy. Somewhere in Moscow, we should not nurture empty hopes that they will simply leave our land. We can only choose peace, we can obtain it in hard battles and parallel negotiations, and in parallel through daily energetic work.

Therefore, each and every one of us must continue to do everything they can in all directions. To support our Armed Forces, to preserve and develop economic activity in Ukraine, as far as is currently possible, to support all our citizens. Wherever they are, whoever they are. In peacetime it was also the case that a warm word sustains life forces, and in wartime it is even more significant. When we may not even know what a person is going through, what loss. What help they need. But we can see that a person needs help, needs support, needs at least to be heard.

One must say a few warm words, do something that supports their life. This must be done; one must be attentive to everyone who is near you.

When a people defends themselves in a war of annihilation, when the question is the life or death of millions, there are no unimportant things, no unimportant moments. Everything matters and everyone can contribute their part to the victory of all. Some with weapons in hand, some at work, and some with a warm word and help at the necessary moment.

So please do everything you can so that together we withstand this war for our freedom, for our independence, for that which Ukraine lived for. Thanks to such sincere constant support for one another, thanks to cohesion and attention to one's neighbor, peoples can pass the most difficult trials and expel an enemy who is many times stronger.

Our defenders continue to regain control over communities in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, more and more Ukrainian national flags in districts that were temporarily occupied. The Armed Forces of Ukraine do not let the invaders go without a fight, deliver fire strikes, destroy everyone within the reach of our capabilities. We are strengthening the defense in the eastern direction and in Donbas. Aware that the enemy has reserves to increase pressure in the east of the state.

What is the goal of the Russian troops? They want to seize both Donbas and the south of Ukraine. What is our goal? To protect us, our freedom, our land, our people. To do everything for protection. Our heroic Mariupol continues to restrain a significant part of the enemy forces. Thanks to this resistance, thanks to the courage and resilience of it and our other cities, Ukraine has gained priceless time. That time which allows for breaking the enemy's tactics and weakening its capabilities.

Unfortunately, Ukraine has still not received enough modern Western anti-missile systems. Did not receive aircraft, did not receive what partners could provide. Could and still can. Every Russian missile that hit our cities, and every bomb dropped on our people, on our children, only adds black paint to how everyone upon whom this decision depended will be described in history.

The decision of whether to help Ukraine with modern weapons.

I want to separately thank the residents of our Enerhodar, those brave Ukrainian men and women who today went out to a rally to defend their city, to defend our state. In response, the occupiers opened fire and used grenades against absolutely peaceful people who are on their own land, by the way, and in their right.

For every wounded person there will be an answer, and the Ukrainian character still cannot be subdued. By any pressure, by any violence. I am grateful to everyone who goes out into the streets in temporarily occupied cities. To all who are not afraid and go out. I am grateful to all who are afraid and go out. To all who feel that without this decision to defend Ukraine and their freedom, the occupiers may consolidate.

And when people protest, and the more people protest, the harder it is for the occupiers to destroy us, to destroy our freedom. This is our common struggle. And it will be our common victory.

I want to say a few words also to those politicians, to certain deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, who absolutely do not understand what is happening in the hearts of our people, so much so that they even came up with changing the national anthem. I have a question for these individuals: what have you done in your life that you have acquired the moral right to change the words of the anthem? What are you, gifted poets? Perhaps you distinguished yourselves in battles for Ukraine? Or has such a time come now that the anthem can be changed?

And this must be done whenever one feels like it. Calm your emotions, stop making yourselves look like fools. I believe that the authors of these and other similar draft laws, proposals, should have taken weapons in their hands and gone to the battlefield, if you have such opportunities. Only there will you understand something. And even if something similar is accidentally voted for, my signature will still not be under such draft laws. Do not waste time.

I want to address another person who seems not to fully understand what is happening and what is being experienced not only in Ukraine, but in all of Europe, in the world. To the Prime Minister of Hungary, who is perhaps the only one in Europe openly supporting Mr. Putin. We didn't ask for anything special. From official Budapest. We didn't even receive what all others do.

Do for the sake of peace. Did not receive the vitally necessary transit of defense assistance. Did not see moral leadership. Did not see any effort to stop this war. Why is it so? All of Europe wants peace. All of Europe does not want the battlefield to be moved from Mariupol to Budapest, or from Kharkiv to Krakow, or from Chernihiv to Vilnius. All of Europe is trying to stop the war, to return peace. Why then does official Budapest oppose all of Europe, all civilized countries? For the sake of what? The main thing for us is the opinion of the people. The Ukrainian people support the Hungarian people.

The Hungarian people support

the Ukrainian people. We equally value peace, we equally value freedom. It will always be so. We will always live in good-neighborliness. I am sure that our minorities should be those bridges that unite us even more. Politicians come and go, but the truth remains. That is what I am talking about. About the truth. I always say what I think. When I talk about Hungary, I mean Hungary. And I do not need to mask my thoughts. If we need to talk about Germany, we talk about Germany.

If we need to talk about some other country, I talk about some other country. If it is a war, then I call it a war. Do you understand? A war. Not a special operation. If it is a threat to all of Europe, then I call it that. It is a threat to all of Europe. This is called honesty, which Mr. Orbán lacks.

Perhaps he lost it somewhere in contacts with Moscow. Spoke today with the President of Colombia. Very grateful to him for the support, for the solidarity with Ukraine. The list of countries that honestly say that freedom matters and that the war must stop is expanding. Also spoke with the Prime Minister of Britain, Boris Johnson.

Meaningfully, pleasantly. Agreed on new defense support for Ukraine. A new package. Very tangible support. Also about strengthening sanctions against Russia. Very significantly. Agreed on joint steps to achieve peace. Grateful to Boris for the leadership. Historic leadership, I am sure of this. During the day, I held a large meeting with the economic block of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Office of the President. The economic front is another direction of our struggle for our state, for our people. Discussed in great detail the situation with the sowing campaign and with providing Ukrainians with food products, and with fuel supply, the situation in energy, and the situation with the state's main sectors.

The Minister of Finance reported on the state of the execution of the state budget, the details of negotiations with partners regarding financial support for Ukraine. In wartime, economic relations must remain 100% manageable. No matter how difficult it was for all of us. Because it is about the prospect. About the prospect of life for more than 40 million Ukrainians. About what our tomorrow will be. The meeting participants received clear tasks. Inna Ustana already traditional signed a decree on honoring our heroes with state awards. Heroes of our state. 131 military personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine, 9 of them posthumously.

Eternal glory to them all. Eternal glory to all who gave their lives for Ukraine. Eternal glory to all our defenders. Eternal glory to all our female defenders. Glory to Ukraine!