In his speech, the President of Ukraine touched upon the end of the war in Donbas, peace, the return home of Ukrainian citizens, prisoners of war and the return of our territories. He noted that it managed to unlock the Normandy process, which has been blocked since 2016.
“136 of our citizens were released and returned to their families. A ceasefire was announced on July 27. Today, the ‘regime of silence’ lasts for the 86th day in a row – the longest during the war,” he added. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also added that the European Union, the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Turkey and other partners continue to support Ukraine. The President said that Ukrainian diplomats are constantly working to prepare for the next Normandy Summit in Berlin.
During his speech, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the economic development strategy of Donbas, emphasizing “We are already building a new Donbas in the liberated territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Modern, safe, wealthy. But to make the region like this, special economic conditions are needed. We need the Strategy of economic development of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which will include tax and customs preferences, insurance of military-political risks for investors, arbitration according to international standards. Work on it has already begun.”
A special topic in the speech of the President of Ukraine was the development of the Ukrainian army. He stressed: “The onset of peace in Ukraine does not mean that we will stop caring about the army. Only a modern and capable army will be a guarantor of further peace and a guarantee of Ukraine's security.”
The President of Ukraine reminded that another important point of his program is democracy. “There will be democracy in Ukraine. It is the duty of the state to provide citizens with comprehensive access to information for decision-making,” he stressed. The President also reminded of the adopted Electoral Code with open lists and the abolition of the majority electoral system.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke in detail about the support of Ukraine by the international coalition, which is reaching a new level. “We have maintained bicameral US support. Ukraine and the United Kingdom have officially become strategic partners. Relations between Ukraine and Turkey have reached an unprecedented level. Canada remains a reliable partner for us,” he noted.
In his speech, the President of Ukraine also touched upon such topics as medical reform and reform of education and science. According to him, the development of research infrastructure and support for talented Ukrainian scientists should become a priority for the state.