“I would be the happiest person in the world if the book you now hold in your hands had never been published. My speeches had never been written or given after February 24, 2022, and my speeches had never been heard or read after the invasion.”
With these words Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (44) introduces the book, which contains 16 of his most important speeches. They are speeches he gave when he took office in 2019 and appeals he made to his people, Russians and the whole world after war broke out in his country.
His most important speech was also probably the shortest. “Good evening everyone. We are all here. The citizens are here. We are all here defending our independence. And it will remain that way.”
And it has remained that way to this day. On February 25, Zelensky prepared in just 32 seconds the Ukrainian people for the war that the Russians had unleashed in his country the day before. The atmosphere was also good: Selenski was dressed in camouflage green and filmed himself in front of a government building.
“I Need Ammo”
Western weapons aside, it is Zelensky as the driving motivator that contributes to Ukraine’s successful resistance. Rumors from the Russian side that the former TV comedian fled the country shortly after the outbreak of war turned out to be false. Quite the opposite: When the Americans offered to help him escape into exile, Selenski responded with the now-legendary quote, “I need ammunition, not a ride.”
In the first 200 days of the war, Zelensky gave 81 speeches, including one on March 19 during the big Ukraine demonstration in Bern, when he was broadcast live and criticized Nestlé and other Swiss companies for their dealings with Russia. Usually dressed in a T-shirt, Selensky became a hero against megalomaniac Russian President Vladimir Putin (70), who leads the war in a suit and tie from a safe distance.
Symbol of resistance
Zelensky’s speeches are now compared to those of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965) during World War II. Frithjof Benjamin Schenk (52), Eastern Europe expert at the University of Basel and head of the “Ukrainian Research in Switzerland” initiative, told Blick: “Selenski’s speeches are of great importance in fostering the spirit of resistance and fighting to demonstrate the Ukrainian people against a seemingly overwhelming to explain opponents.”
Selensky has not only become a symbol of national resistance, he also reminds people every day what they are fighting for: for freedom and self-determination in Ukraine. Schenk: «With his speeches on the international stage, Selenski managed to generate a wave of solidarity and helpfulness for his country. Without this support, Ukraine would not be able to defend its own existence.”
Career on TV benefits him
Schenk does not know whether Selenski writes his speeches himself. “We can assume that he has professional speechwriters, just like any other head of state. At the same time, observers are convinced that Selenski himself puts his hand on the manuscripts of his speeches.”
He benefits from the fact that he can look back on a successful career as a TV and film actor. Schenk: “He has a keen sense of timing, presence in front of the camera and the public effect of the spoken word.”
Better no applause…
Selenski himself does not seem very happy that his speeches have acquired such a great reputation and have now been collected in a book. In his introduction, he writes, there are many things he would immediately miss, such as the applause and admiration of people all over the world.
“I’d rather people respond to the last name Zelenskiy by asking, ‘Who?’ I wish I had never heard the applause of the US Congress, the British House of Commons or the European Parliament – and that Ukrainians should never have heard the sound of explosions or gunfire in our homeland.”
Wolodimir Selenski: “Embassy from the Ukraine”, from the English by Christiane Bernhardt and Gisela Fichtl, ca. 160 pages, CHF 22.90, Siedler Verlag. The author’s proceeds will go to United 24, a Zelenskiy initiative to raise money to help Ukraine.
“We humans invented writing and mathematics, the wheel and penicillin, we conquered space – we as humanity still have a chance.”
(September 25, 2019, UN General Assembly)
“Just look at the reaction of Ukrainians to the propaganda of those who call our people Nazis and anti-Semites. They elected me president.”
(September 1, 2021, Holocaust Museum, Washington DC)
“We fight because this is our country. Our history. What are you going to fight for?”
(February 24, 2022, a few hours before the invasion, to the Ukrainian and Russian people)
‘Do not panic. We are strong. We are prepared for anything. We will conquer everyone. Because we are Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine.”
(February 24, 2022, shortly after the start of the war, to the Ukrainian people)
“If bombs fall on Kiev, they will fall on Europe. When missiles kill Ukrainians, they kill Europeans.”
(February 25, 2022, to the people of Europe)
“We didn’t want this war. Ukraine didn’t aspire to greatness. And yet Ukraine has grown in the past thirteen days.”
(March 8, 2022, in front of the UK Parliament via video link)
“Today it is no longer enough to lead the nation. Today is the time to lead the world. And to lead the world is to lead it to peace.”
(March 16, 2022, before the US Congress via videolink)
“I want the mothers of every Russian soldier to see the bodies of those killed in Bucha, in Irpin, in Hostomel.”
(April 3, 2022, to the people of Ukraine)
“Evil has returned. In a different outfit, with different slogans, but with the same goal.”
(May 8, 2022, on the Ukrainian Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation)
“What will the end of the war bring? In the past we would have said ‘Peace’. Today we say ‘Victory.'”
(August 24, 2022, on Ukrainian Independence Day)