President Zelenskyy’s address on Constitution Day

Dear Ukrainians!

On June 28, 28 years ago, the Basic Law of our state was adopted.

And today we celebrate the Constitution Day of Ukraine!

I am recording this address on my way from Kyiv to Brussels, in Lviv. A city that is one of the first to welcome our international partners, that has been receiving our people and evacuation trains since the first days of the war.

And now I am here at the time of the historic decision on negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. We are now on our way to Europe. In every sense of the word. All of Ukraine is overcoming a challenging journey. When much has been accomplished, yet much lies ahead. When we cannot stop or take a wrong turn. When we must reach the destination. When we have to successfully complete this path – Ukraine’s path to Europe.

What do these words mean in practice? What does this path look like? It did not begin yesterday, or a year ago, or in 1991. It was taken by different generations who fought for an independent, European Ukraine. This path is made up of different destinies, different roads, different people. This path is full of trials, obstacles, pain that we had to endure, and the will that allows us to keep moving – moving forward. And each of us is walking this path today.

Our Constitution’s first article begins with the word “Ukraine.” And from the first minutes of the war, millions of people proved that Ukraine really comes first for them. Everyone who thought, first and foremost, not of themselves, who understands that in times of war, a key duty comes to the fore. Article 17 of the Constitution. Protecting Ukraine is the most important function of the state and a matter of concern for the entire Ukrainian people.

Full text of the address: Office of the President of Ukraine