"No missile can overcome a nation that has wings."

Dear people!

Behind me is "Mother Ukraine". Ukraine, standing firmly on its feet. It does not bow its head, looks forward, and believes in its future and victory over all the evil that Russia has brought us. Ukraine, capable of achieving a just peace, armed with shield and sword. Defending its people, its colors, its independence. Today, I appeal to all who value Ukraine, cherish their state, and speak of it with love: "Mine". I thank you for 2024. To our people, who endure all hardships with dignity. To those for whom being a citizen 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 with wings.

Throughout this leap year, we have demonstrated this every day. We saw 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 our people back. 1358 individuals this year. 3956 Ukrainians during this time. And I mention not approximate, but very precise figures, because each of them is a person, our person, a person of great importance. And with the return of each, we restore life to Ukraine.

And as always, when this happens, we all cry. It doesn’t matter if it’s a tearful mother, or a child who has awaited their father, or the President of Ukraine, we all weep 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 necessary. To be strong when it is important. Just as our teachers, our medics, our energy workers, our transportation workers did, as did all our PPC operators, mobile fire groups. The guys who shot down 1310 cruise and ballistic missiles this year, 7800 Iranian "Shaheeds". Bravo! Pride! Thank you! We have gone through this year together. Overcoming everything that 2024 brought us. Victories and failures. Joys and challenges. Tears of happiness when we succeeded. And tears of pain when we were wounded – in the heart.

July. Morning. "Okhmatdyt". This is how the weak and the cowardly strike. And we will never forget those children’s 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 our unity 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 those incredibly mature and strong eyes of the boy from "Okhmatdyt". How much life, energy, 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, coming up with technical solutions that aid our defense. You are a fantastic generation! This is who we are fighting for. This is who our heroes, our soldiers primarily protect. Who stands firm and bears independence on their shoulders. Where freedom and valor fight daily, and now – on this New Year's night. In all our directions. In all. In the east, where it is currently very, very hard and very complicated. But we believe, we know: you will endure. Our boys will endure. Your spirit and courage will endure. All that allowed you this year not to yield our Sumy and Kharkiv, our Kherson and our Zaporizhzhia. And the Russians desperately wanted this. 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, flew this year.

Justice. Just one word, but behind it stand hundreds of thousands of our people. Our "defense" and our science. Whose minds and labor made us stronger, because 30% of everything 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 manage to achieve so much, how did these people accomplish 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 overlooked such people. 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 again building its own, its rockets. And for the first time produces over a million drones in a year. Forcing the enemy to learn Ukrainian. "Palyanitsa", "Peklo", "Ruta". Forcing them to tremble at the words "Neptune" and "Sapsan". All of this is our rockets. Ukrainian. "Hor", "Vampir", "Kolibri", "KAMIK", "Lyutyi", Heavy Shot, Fire Point. All of this is our drones. Ukrainian. And all of this is our arguments, arguments for a just peace.

It is only the strong who achieve it. And we have proven that we are such countless times. Our athletes. Oleksandr Khizhniak, our Tank. Olha Kharlan, Yaroslav Maguchikh, all our Olympians and Paralympians, for whom we cheered so much, worried so much, and cried out in joy and pride when the blue and yellow flag was raised. We took hits and gave back alongside 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 bigger the opponent is than you, what matters is how much bigger your will is. Then it captures the breath of the whole world! And all the leaders have frankly told me: "We have never seen anything like it – when a full hall in Notre-Dame de Paris applauds". And those were the applause for you. For all our people. This is how respect for Ukraine sounds. This is what independence means.

This is when we do not give up 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 barrel of a gun, our people say: "You are not our kin, you are temporary". And all that imported weed will not take root in our soil, it will not overcome the natives. And I always recall the story of one Ukrainian grandfather, who the occupiers asked: "What time is it?". And he replied: "Time to leave our land". This is what internal freedom looks like, which simply cannot be occupied. And I appeal to all who carry this freedom within themselves, in the temporarily occupied territories. Dear Ukrainians! I know you are celebrating the New Year according to our time and you are hearing these words now. In our Crimea, in Donbas, in Melitopol, in Mariupol – everywhere, where they await 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 will be all our people. Those who are now 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, "Shche ne vmerla..." will resonate. 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 with us are our friends. And from the very first moments of this war, America has been with Ukraine. And I believe that America will be with Ukraine in the first moments of peace.

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

I thank all Americans for proving these words with 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 brawl where you need to calm two 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 capable of this strength. To force Russia to a just peace. That is, not to forget and not to reset everything that Russia has done. Bucha, Olenivka, Avdiivka, all our destroyed cities and villages