President Zelensky wishes Ukrainians Happy New Year: Our future is country without war. Peace to all of us!
President Zelensky wishes Ukrainians Happy New Year: Our future is country without war. Peace to all of us!
Zelensky addressed the citizens of Ukraine with the following words:
“Dear Ukrainians, usually in the President’s New Year’s greetings, they tell us about GDP growth, falling inflation, implementation, diversification, and other very obscure terms. In a word, they say that we actually began to live better, it’s just you didn’t notice it. Therefore very often, when the president addresses us, we turn off the sound. We wait until he finishes his tale to finally move on to champagne, sandwiches and salads. Today it will be different. Today everyone will honestly answer their important question: who am I? President of Ukraine, a successful lawyer, an ordinary housewife, a university student, an agronomist from Cherkasy region … Who am I? Former photographer who defends the country in the east, former physicist who does the dishes in Italy, or former chemist who builds a high-rise in Novosibirsk? A Donetsk doctor who moved and started his own practice? Or a teacher from Luhansk who moved, worked in taxi service for two years, and finally returned. Who am I?
Anyone who has been living abroad for 10 years and loves Ukraine on the Internet? The one who lost everything in Crimea and started everything from scratch in Kharkiv? An IT specialist who dreams of fleeing the country? Or a captive who dreamed of returning home. Who am I?
A resident of Ivano-Frankivsk who defends his native language? A native of Gurzuf who keeps his native language? A resident of Beregovo who keeps his native language? Or a resident of Kramatorsk who speaks his native language? The one who learned Ukrainian? Because it’s normal to know the state language. Anyone who does not want to do this? The one who pays taxes? Violates law on the road? Keeping a dog at home? Red-headed? Muslim? Has hearing impairment? Hates olives? Liberal? Excellent student? Didn’t watch Game of Thrones? Sanguine? Vegan? Capricorn? Blood donor?
This is each of us. These are Ukrainians. Such as we are. Not perfect and not saints. Because it’s just people. Alive. With their flaws and “cockroaches.” But our passport does not indicate “correct” or “wrong” Ukrainian. There is no line “patriot”, “Little Russian” or “Bandera fan.” It says “citizen of Ukraine”, which has rights and obligations. We are very different. So who are we?
73 percent who elected president? 25% who do not perceive him? Those who did not go to the polls? Those who celebrate Christmas on December 25, or those who do this on January 7? Who is familiar for 100 years? And who met in 2014? Those who made the world’s largest aircraft? And those who put a stub instead of a seat belt? Are we reading Zhadan, are we listening to Maruv? Watching the Irony of Fate, or watching Home Alone? Fan of Dynamo, or Shakhtar? Or together – for Lomachenko and Usyk? Those who celebrate March 8? Or, on the contrary, considers it a relic of the Soviet Union?
And all these people are we.
And how can we, so different, continue to live together? To build a huge fence? Someone convinced us that our differences matter. What if this is not so. Imagine, doesn’t we have much in common? We are still proud of the great Ukrainians. Would we stop respecting them if we knew who Shevchenko or Lesya Ukrainka voted for in the elections? If Skovoroda or Khmelnitsky had different views on NATO? Would it matter to us which church Kadenyuk or Lobanovsky go to? What do Antonov or Korolev think about customs clearance of cars? And how does Stupka or Bykov relate to Normandy format?
We value them for something else. Because we really value something else. We were equally happy when our teams entered Euro. Anyway, we smile when we ride on a flat road. We rejoice equally in the birth of the firstborn. And it doesn’t matter, boy or girl. We are happy if we are in love – either in Slovyansk, or in Drohobych. And the crosses on the graves of our soldiers – either in Ternopil, or in Kryvyi Rih – do not compete in patriotism.
And when our sailors and our prisoners returned, we all cried with happiness. Both Ukrainian-speaking and Russian-speaking. Both an ordinary housewife, and a successful lawyer. And the president of Ukraine too. There are many episodes in our history that unite us. And we learned to be a single country occasionally. In the new year, we need to be a single country every day. This should be our national idea. Learning to live together in respect. For the future of the country. After all, we imagine it the same way – as a successful and prosperous country where there is no war. A country that has returned its people and its territories. Where it doesn’t matter what the name of the street is, because it is lit and paved. Where it makes no difference, at which monument are you waiting for the girl you are in love with.
If we see the future equally, it should unite us.
