PRESS RELEASE : Ukraine must return all its territories, this will be a victory of justice – Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a conversation with the Harvard university community [September 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 28 September 2022.

Ukraine must return all its temporarily occupied territories, and only then can we talk about the end of the war. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a conversation with students and lecturers of Harvard University.

“If it is not clear that we have regained our land, the war is over and there is peace, and instead something is always under a question mark, some part is not de-occupied, and the other part is in some kind of compromise, then, believe me, Russia will return to the occupation of our land,” the Head of State said.

The President noted that, unfortunately, Ukraine will not be able to return its dead citizens, but it can certainly restore justice, which begins with the return of its land.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is convinced that Russia’s war against Ukraine demonstrated the need to reset international institutions, which should react faster, preferably preventively, without waiting for a bad result.

Also, in his opinion, one may believe or not believe Russia’s threats to use nuclear weapons, but the world should definitely be strong and not be afraid of intimidation by any aggressor.

“Because there will be many more such threats. So that there are fewer of them, it should be systematically written out what the reaction will be. Even to words or intentions. For such military and political leaders to be afraid to even think of threatening any state with anything – with nuclear weapons, hunger, annexation, or occupation,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President is convinced that Ukraine can set an example of such changes in the international security system, because it was on the territory of our country that the aggressor violated human rights, tortured, raped, seized a nuclear power plant, threatened with nuclear weapons, etc. Therefore, as the Head of State noted, the international working group headed by the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and former Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen developed recommendations on security guarantees for our country.

“We sent them to world leaders and would like to apply them. It is important that the countries that find themselves in danger can receive weapons, sanctions against the aggressor, and financial aid in a short time,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.