President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Ukrainians on the Day of Dignity and Freedom and noted that Ukrainians must be strong and united in order to protect freedom and not lose dignity.
Zelenskyy said this in a video message on the occasion of the holiday, Ukrainian News Agency reports.
He noted that 10 years ago, Ukrainians started a new page of struggle and conducted their first counteroffensive against lawlessness and attempts to deprive the European future, and then the first victory in today's war actually took place - the victory of indifference, bravery, dignity, popular resistance, civil society.
Zelenskyy addressed the Ukrainians against the background of Kyiv's European Square, noting that 20 years ago Ukraine's accession to the European Union was a romantic dream, 10 years ago it was an ambitious goal, and today it is a reality in which it is no longer possible to stop the forward movement of Ukrainians, the status of a candidate and further accession negotiations must necessarily end with Ukraine's full membership in the EU.
"And we do all this despite the war. When our people are defending themselves and Europe right now. Because we have dignity and we will not allow freedom to be taken away from us. Because we must protect freedom in order not to lose dignity. Because we know and remember one of important wisdom that we learned a long time ago: how important it is not to be afraid, how important it is to fight. And every time they want to take something from us, more and more people oppose it. When the barricades of Maidan change to the trenches of Donbas, and later to resistance throughout front lines - north, south and east. When the defense of democratic values turns into the defense of sovereignty and territorial integrity. When opposition to dictators inside the country becomes opposition to occupiers and terrorists from outside," he said.
Zelenskyy also emphasized that in order to win the war, it is important for Ukrainians and international partners to preserve unity.
"When the enemy manages to split the internal unity. When we quarrel, and then we get tired, despair. And then we survive. In new periods of new slavery and statelessness. When the enemy manages to undermine international support and solidarity. When the civilized world begins to seek compromises with terrorists and go to concessions to tyrants. Then we will all definitely lose. Ukraine. Europe. The world. We will lose, naively thinking that there can be a draw with them. A draw is impossible," the President said.
Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukrainians should be strong, because only the strong are believed in, only the strong create the future.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, since 2014, November 21 has been celebrated as the Day of Dignity and Freedom in Ukraine.
his is a public holiday established in honor of the beginning of two significant events in recent Ukrainian history this day - the Orange Revolution of 2004 and the Revolution of Dignity in 2013.
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