Zelensky's New Year message: No missiles can defeat a nation with wings.

Dear people! 


Behind me is "Mother Ukraine." Ukraine, which stands firmly on its feet. It does not bow its head, looks forward, believes in its future, and in victory over all the evil that Russia has brought us. Ukraine is capable of achieving a just peace, wielding both shield and sword. Protecting its people, its colors, its independence. Today, I address all who cherish Ukraine, safeguard their state, and speak of it with love: "Mine." I thank you for 2024. To our people, who face all difficulties with dignity. To those for whom being citizens of Ukraine is a source of pride. And for me, it is a pride to be the President of such people, Ukrainians and Ukrainians, who prove that no cruise missiles can defeat a nation that has wings. 


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Throughout this leap year, we have demonstrated this every day. We witnessed it yesterday. When we were uplifted with joy, as 189 Ukrainians returned home from captivity. Because they will celebrate the New Year at home. Because we are bringing back our own. 1358 people this year. 3956 Ukrainians during this time. And I am not citing approximate figures, but very precise numbers, as each one represents a person, our person, a very important person. With the return of each, we bring back life to Ukraine.

And as always when this happens, we all cry. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a touched mother, a child waiting for their father, or the President of Ukraine; we all cry because we are all human and have preserved the light within us.

And it has helped us endure these more than a thousand days. To be brave when it is so needed. To be strong when it is so important. Just as our teachers, our medics, our energy workers, our transport workers have done, as all our air defense personnel and mobile fire groups have done. The guys who shot down 1310 cruise and ballistic missiles this year, 7800 Iranian "Shaheds." Bravo! Pride! Thank you! We have gone through this year together. Overcoming everything that 2024 has brought us. Victories and defeats. Joys and challenges. Tears of happiness when we succeeded. And tears of pain when we were wounded – in the heart.

July. Morning. "Okhmatdyt." That’s how the weak and cowards strike. And we will never forget those childlike eyes. And we will never forgive them! When evil brings death, our response is a living chain. This is what the strength of Ukrainians looks like. And that 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 the incredibly mature and strong eyes of the boy from "Okhmatdyt." How much life, energy, and dignity is in him! 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 global scientific Olympiads, raising funds for our army, inventing technical solutions that assist our defense. You are a fantastic generation! This is who we are fighting for. This is who our heroes, our warriors, primarily defend. Who stands strong and holds independence on their shoulders. Where freedom and valor fight daily, even now – on this New Year's night. In all our directions. In all. In the east, where it is currently very, very difficult and complicated. But we believe, we know: you will endure. Our guys will endure. Your spirit and courage will endure. All of which, thanks to which you did not surrender our Sumy and Kharkiv, our Kherson and our Zaporizhzhia this year. And the Russians wanted this very much. Instead, you returned the debt to the occupiers, pushing the war back home to Russia. And those who sowed evil on our land received it on their own. In Kursk and other places where our response, our justice, arrived this year.

Justice. Just one word, but behind it stand hundreds of thousands of our people. Our "defense industry" and our science. Whose minds and labor made us stronger, because 30% of everything that our guys had on the battlefield this year was made in Ukraine.
And at one such factory, I asked a young engineer: "How did you achieve so much, how could these people do so much?". And the guy joked: "Well, they are not just people, they are rockets."

And you know, at that moment I felt ashamed as a citizen that since the 90s the state has not recognized such people among us. And I am proud when throughout the year, meeting with them, I hear: they are happy to be needed by Ukraine. And that Ukraine is once again building its own, its rockets. And for the first time is producing over a million drones in a year. Forcing the enemy to learn Ukrainian. "Palyanytsya," "Peklo," "Ruta." Forcing them to tremble at the words "Neptune" and "Sapsan." All of this is our rockets. Ukrainian. "Hor," "Vampire," "Colibri," "KAMIK," "Lutyi," Heavy Shot, Fire Point. All of this is our drones. Ukrainian. And all of these are our arguments, arguments for a just peace.
It can only be achieved by the strong. And we have proven that we are strong more than once. Our athletes. Oleksandr Khizhniak, our Tank. Olha Kharlan, Yaroslav Maguchikh, all our Olympians and Paralympians, for whom we have cheered, worried, and shouted with joy and pride when the blue and yellow flag was raised high. We have taken hits and fought back together with Oleksandr Usyk. All of this is about something bigger than just sports. It’s about our character. About who we are and what we are capable of. Meanings and symbols. About how Sashko's fights, like the daily battles of all of Ukraine, show us: it doesn’t matter how much larger the opponent is than you, what matters is how much larger your will is. Then it captures the breath of the entire world! And all leaders have frankly told me: "We have never seen anything like it – when a full hall at Notre-Dame de Paris applauds." And those were the 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 away what is ours. 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 all those whom Russia has driven into occupation but could not occupy their Ukrainian hearts. And no matter how much evil distributes passports under the barrels of guns, our people say: "You are not our own here, you are temporary." And all that imported weed will not take root in our land, will not defeat the natives. And I always remember the story of one of our Ukrainian grandfathers, who was asked by the occupiers: "What time is it?" And he replied: "Time to leave our land." That is what internal freedom looks like, which is simply impossible to occupy. And I appeal to all who carry this freedom within themselves in the temporarily occupied territories. Dear Ukrainians! I know that you are celebrating the New Year according to our time and that you are hearing these words now. In our Crimea, in Donbas, in Melitopol, in Mariupol – everywhere, where they are waiting for Ukraine. 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: at this table, all our people will be present. Those who are currently abroad but have kept Ukraine within themselves. So today, at the very first minute of the new year in Warsaw, New York, or Buenos Aires, the song "Shche ne vmerla..." will resound. In Berlin, Prague, or Tokyo, they will say today: "Glory to Ukraine!" And the world will respond: "Glory to the heroes!" Because Ukraine is not alone. Because our friends are with us. And from the first moments of this war, America has stood with Ukraine. And I believe that America will stand with Ukraine in the first moments of peace. 


I remember a conversation with Joe Biden after the Russian invasion. I remember a conversation with Donald Trump after his election. All the conversations with congressmen, senators, ordinary Americans, with everyone who supports us in the USA, Europe, the world – in all these many and varied conversations, there has always been unity in the main: Putin cannot win. Ukraine will prevail. Putin must not win. Ukraine will win.

I thank all Americans for proving these words through actions. I have no doubt that the new American President wants and can 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 fight where you need to calm down both sides. This is a full-scale aggression of a mad state against a civilized one. And I believe that together with the USA, we are