On the night of January 1, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the people of Ukraine with New Year's greetings.
This year, the Ukrainian leader's speech lasted almost 21 minutes.
ICTV Facts provides the full text of President Zelensky's address:
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— Dear people! Behind me — “Mother Ukraine”. Ukraine, which stands firmly on its feet. Does not bow its head, looks forward, believes in its future and victory over all the evil that Russia has brought us. Ukraine, which is capable of achieving a just peace, having a shield and a sword. Defending its people, its colors, its independence. Today I appeal to everyone who values Ukraine, cherishes its state, speaks of it with love: “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 pride. And for me, pride — to be the President of such people, Ukrainians and Ukrainian women, who prove: no cruise missiles will defeat a people who have wings.
During this leap year, we proved it every day. And we saw it yesterday. When we were inspired with happiness, because 189 Ukrainians returned from captivity to their native land. Because they will celebrate the New Year at home. Because we are returning our own. 1,358 people this year. 3,956 Ukrainians during this time. And I am not naming approximate, but very precise figures, 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 as every time this happens, we all cry. It doesn't matter if it's a touched mother, or a child who waited for his dad, or the President of Ukraine, we all cry, because we are all people and have preserved the light within ourselves.
And it helped us endure these more than a thousand days. To be brave when it is so necessary. To be strong when it is so important. As our teachers did, our doctors, our power engineers, our transport workers, as all our air defense personnel and mobile fire teams did. Guys, who shot down 1,310 cruise and ballistic missiles this year, 7,800 Iranian “shahids”. Bravo! Pride! Thank you! We have gone through this year together. 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. Okhmatdet.This is how weaklings and cowards beat. And we will never forget those children's eyes. And we will never forgive them for this! When evil brings death, our response is a human chain. This is what the strength of Ukrainians looks like. And this unity of ours was visible from space. God saw it. He saw what kind of people we have. What kind of children we have. And I will never forget those incredibly mature and strong eyes of the boy from Okhmatdet. How much life, energy, dignity he has! And how much stronger this one child is than Putin! How much stronger all our children are than all their evil. Ukrainian boys and girls who are winning this war, gaining knowledge online and even in underground schools, winning world science olympiads, raising funds for our army, coming up with 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 and foremost. Who holds on themselves and holds independence on their shoulders. Where will and valor fight daily, and now — on this New Year's Eve. In all our directions. In all. In the East, where now it is very, very difficult and very difficult. But we believe, we know: you will stand firm. Our guys will stand firm. Your spirit and courage will stand firm. Everything thanks to which you did not give up our Sumy and Kharkov, our Kherson and our Zaporozhye this year. And the Russians really wanted this. But instead, you paid the occupiers back, bringing the war back home, to Russia. And those who sowed trouble on our land received it on their own. In Kursk region and in other places where our answer, our justice, flew this year.
Justice. Just one word, but behind it stand hundreds of thousands of our people. Our defense industry and our science. Whose intelligence and labor made us stronger, because 30% of everything that our guys had on the battlefield this year, all of this was made in Ukraine.
And at one such plant I asked a young engineer: “How did you manage to do so much, how did these people manage to do so much?”. And the guy joked: “But these are not just people, they are — missiles”.
And you know, at that moment I felt ashamed as a citizen that since the 90s the state had not noticed such people of ours. And I am proud when all year long, meeting with them, I hear: they are happy that Ukraine needs them. And that Ukraine is again building its own, its own missiles. And for the first time making more than a million UAVs per year. Forcing the enemy to learn Ukrainian. “Palyanitsa”, “Peklo”, “Ruta”. Makes you tremble from the words “Neptune” and “Sapsan”. All these are our missiles. Ukrainian. “Gor”, “Vampire”, “Kolibri”, “KAMIK”, “Lyuty”, Heavy Shot, Fire Point. All these are our drones. Ukrainian. And all these are our arguments, arguments for a just world.
Only the strong get it. And that we are like that, we have proven more than once. Our athletes. Alexander Khizhnyak, our Tank. Olga Harlan, Yaroslava Maguchikh, all our Olympians and Paralympians, for whom we were so rooting, worried, screaming with joy and pride when the blue and yellow flag was raised. We took the blows and fought back together with Alexander Usyk. All this is about something more than just sports. It is about our character. About who we are and what we are capable of. Meanings and symbols. About the fact that Sasha's fights, like the daily battles of all of Ukraine, show us: it does not matter how much bigger the enemy is than you, what matters is how much bigger your will is. Then it takes the breath away of the whole world! And all the leaders openly told me: “We have never seen anything like this — when a full hall of Notre Dame de Paris applauds”. And this was applause for you. For all our people. This is what respect for Ukraine sounds like. This is what independence is.
This is when we do not give up our own. And when we do not 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 everyone whom Russia drove into occupation, but was unable to occupy their Ukrainian hearts. And no matter how many passports evil hands out at gunpoint, 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 people. And I always remember the story of one of our Ukrainian grandfathers, whom the occupiers asked: “What time is it?” And they heard the answer: “It’s time to get off our land.” This is what the will inside is, which is simply impossible to occupy. And I appeal to everyone who carries this will within themselves, in the temporarily occupied territories. Dear Ukrainians! I know that you are celebrating the New Year according to our time and now you hear these words. In our Crimea, in Donbass, in Melitopol, in Mariupol — everywhere where Ukraine is expected. 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 preserved Ukraine within themselves. That is why today, in the first minute of the new year, in Warsaw, New York or Buenos Aires, they will be singing “Shche ne vmerla…”. 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 our friends are with us. And from the first minutes of this war, America was with Ukraine. And I believe that America will be with Ukraine in the first minutes of peace.
I remember a conversation with 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 US, Europe, the world, — in these many and different conversations there was always unity in the main thing: Putin cannot win. Ukraine will prevail.
I thank all Americans for the fact that these words were proven by actions. 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 crazy state against a civilized one. And I believe that we, together with the United States, are capable of this force. To force Russia to a just peace. That is, not to forget and not to nullify everything that Russia has done. Bucha, Elenovka, Avdiivka, all our destroyed cities and villages. That is why a truly just peace cannot come according to the principle of “let's start from scratch”. Because the score is not 0:0. The score is — thousands, thousands of Ukrainians whose lives were stolen by Russia.
And today, the heart of Ukraine is strewn with 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 these feelings on any leader in the world — at the moment when you hand over awards posthumously. You see the eyes of the mother, wife, child of a warrior 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 have not gone into oblivion. They are with us, they are near, always, they look at us from the sky. And we have no right to let them down and cannot betray their feat and memory.
And every day next year, I, all of us must fight for a Ukraine that 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 has been with us this year. Our partners, allies, friends, leaders. Real leaders. Not because that is how it is customary to address them, but those who prove their leadership by their actions. Those who were 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 got results. “Petriots”, “Irises”, “Nasamsy”, “Atacamsy”, F-16, “Scalps”, “Storm Shadow”. The 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. The European Union and 50 billion to support our economy. “The Big Seven” and the decision on 50 billion dollars of frozen Russian assets. This is our great international work. This is our great international victory. Thank you to our partners, thank you for this, thank you to the team. The army, the government, the Office, the parliament, the regions, the communities, the volunteers. To everyone who makes our country stronger inside, who cares about people.
Thank you to everyone, thanks to whom Ukraine stands and will endure. Will overcome its path to peace, to a strong Ukraine. And to a European Ukraine. And these are no longer just words — this is 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 historic result. This path is already irreversible. And Ukraine will be in the European Union. And one day Ukraine will be in NATO and will strengthen the Alliance. Will strengthen the stability of the world. The unity of Europe, which determines the fate of every nation on the continent. And this unity must be respected by everyone. And Budapest and Bratislava. I know that both the Hungarian and Slovak peoples — in fact, they are 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 be afraid that Ukraine will be in Europe. We must do everything so that there is no Russia in Europe. Its tanks, its missiles and the evil it will surely carry further if Ukraine does not hold out. If Russia shakes your hand today, it does not mean that tomorrow it will not start killing you with the same hand. Because Russians are afraid of the free. Of what is unfamiliar to them. They are afraid of freedom. They were born under Putin, went to school under Putin, went to serve under Putin and are dying for his sick ideas.
And that is why it is so important today to support all the peoples who defend freedom. Who do not give it up in Chisinau. Who fight for their future in Tbilisi. And I am sure 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.
For each of us — “Mother Ukraine”. And she deserves to live in peace. I wish this for all of us. And 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 side by side with me you are — millions of Ukrainians. Strong. Free. Beautiful. Independent.
Happy New Year, dear people!
Happy New Year, Ukraine!
Glory to Ukraine!
