At the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to allies about the ongoing effort to repel Russia's invasion.
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NewsTranscript
00:00And now I invite the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to take the floor for
00:07his address.
00:08Thank you so much.
00:11Madam President, thank you for your efforts to organize the summit and bring about a just
00:18peace.
00:19Ladies and gentlemen, today is the day when the world begins to bring a just peace closer.
00:25I thank everyone who has worked for this day, every leader, all the teams and advisors,
00:32all the states.
00:33One hundred and one states and international organizations are now at the summit, and this
00:39is a tremendous success, our success, the common success of all those who believe that
00:46a united world, united nations are stronger than any aggressor.
00:52Peace leaders and representatives of states and international organizations, everyone
00:58who is here today for the sake of a just peace.
01:01I'm pleased to welcome everyone to the first peace summit, which can be the first step
01:08towards a just end to the war of Russia against Ukraine.
01:15And when we end it justly and fairly for Ukraine on the basis of international law,
01:23then every nation in the world will be able to count on the same justice and fairness,
01:30on the same effectiveness of the UN Charter with regard to its rights.
01:36And then these wars will once again have their full power.
01:41We, the peoples of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding generations from the scores
01:49of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind and to reaffirm faith
02:01in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal
02:08rights of men and women, and so important of nations, large and small, and to establish
02:15conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties
02:23and other sources of international law can be maintained.
02:28These are the first words of the UN Charter, but they are also the words that describe
02:34the essence of the peace formula, which became the basis of the Peace Summit and encouraged
02:42all parts of the world and different nations with equal respect to participate in our joint work.
02:51The Peace Summit, our unity here proves that the very idea of international law remains
02:59alive and effective.
03:03Our presence here proves that the UN Charter and the basic conventions are not a formality,
03:11but the real foundations of co-existence among peoples.
03:17Our principles are clear.
03:19No one has the right to wage a war of aggression against a neighbor and undermine one of the
03:26basic principles of the UN Charter, the territorial integrity of states.
03:32No one has the right to threaten the world with nuclear weapons.
03:37No one has the right to undermine food, energy, or any other security of the world and its regions.
03:45No one has the right to kidnap the children of another nation.
03:51No one has the right to undermine peace.
03:53We are able to ensure the effectiveness of such principles.
03:59These are globally important principles.
04:02And I am grateful to you, distinguished leaders and representatives of states and international
04:08organizations for proving that the world may not fall into total war anymore.
04:16The war Russia unfortunately brought to us, to Ukraine, to our homes, to Ukrainian cities,
04:21our villages, and hundreds, hundreds of them were unfortunately completely burned by the
04:28Russian bombs, artillery, and missiles.
04:32Putin has taken the lives of thousands of our people.
04:37Why?
04:38Because he wants to take over a neighboring country.
04:41I do not wish this to anyone.
04:43I sincerely wish that all of you, all the peoples of the world, every child, every family
04:50could simply live without war.
04:53And I want this for all Ukrainians.
04:57Ukraine has the right to peace, just like all of you.
05:02Ladies and gentlemen, we must stop this war based on the UN Charter, respect for international
05:09law, the just interests of the Ukrainian people, and the idea of the undeniable value of human
05:16life, life, not war.
05:19Now we will focus on three points, like Madam President said, on what is useful to everyone
05:26in the world, without exception.
05:29The first point is radiation and nuclear safety.
05:33The second is food security, the third is the release of prisoners and deputies, adults
05:42and children, military and civilians whose lives have been broken by war.
05:47We will focus on three initial points of the peace formula, and in the process of working
05:53on them, we can reach an agreement and create an action plan for each point of the formula.
06:01Therefore, this inaugural peace summit includes three panels, where each participating country
06:09can show its leadership.
06:12The peace formula is inclusive, and we are happy to hear and work on all proposals, all
06:19ideas, what is really needed for peace, and what is important to you, dear friends.
06:25I urge all of you to be as active as possible, and I am proud that all parts of the world,
06:32all continents, are now represented at the peace summit.
06:37We have managed to avoid one of the most terrible things, namely the division of the world into
06:45opposing blocs.
06:46Here there are representatives from Latin America, Africa, Europe, Middle East and Asia,
06:56the Pacific, North America, and religious leaders, 101 participants, and no one has
07:06the privilege of deciding for another.
07:09This is true multipolarity when each political pole of the earth is represented and has its
07:20own influence in solving a globally important issue.
07:24No one doubts that the global majority wants to guarantee all aspects of security, including
07:31nuclear and food security.
07:33The majority of the world definitely supports the principle of territorial integrity of
07:39states, sovereignty of nations, and equality in relations between peoples.
07:48The world majority definitely wants to live without bloody crises, deportations, and ecocides.
07:56And so every nation that is not represented now and that shares the same values of the
08:03UN Charter, indeed, and the world, will be able to join our work in the next stages.
08:10The peace formula encourages all the powers of the world to think about ending the war
08:16and to propose how to end it.
08:21And therefore, the very idea of war has already lost.
08:25Putin should switch from the language of ultimatums to the language of the world majority, which
08:32wants a just peace.
08:35Distinguished leaders and representatives of states, what exactly can this summit deliver?
08:41First is to prove that the return of security is indeed possible.
08:46We will work out the steps with you.
08:49Second is to provide a real plan to make every step for peace work, from nuclear and
08:55food security to the release of prisoners and deportees to the complete end of the war
09:02without the threat of its new outbreak.
09:06I believe it's possible.
09:08Third, there is no need to reinvent the wheel when the UN Charter already defines the foundations
09:17of peace and normal coexistence of peoples.
09:21We just have to return to them.
09:24And for this purpose, we need to decide how countries will cooperate, who will be co-leaders
09:32in order to fix and implement an action plan.
09:36These are absolutely clear and achievable goals.
09:40Now there is no Russia here.
09:44Why?
09:45Because if Russia was interested in peace, there would be no war.
09:50We must decide together what a just peace means for the world and how it can be achieved
09:57in a truly lasting way.
09:59The UN Charter is the basis for us.
10:02And then when the action plan is on the table, agreed by all and transparent for the peoples,
10:10then it will be communicated to the representatives of Russia.
10:15And so that at the second peace summit, we can fix the real end of the war.
10:21Now we are starting this path together.
10:25We must prove that the united world is a world of peace, a world that knows how to act correctly.
10:33Thank you for attention.
10:34Thank you for participating in the summit.
10:37I hope for fruitful work together.
10:40Of course, together, we all need peace.
10:44Slava Ukraini!
10:45Thank you.