2025 must be the year of a just peace for Ukraine – Zelenskyy

He said this during a meeting with Ukraine’s diplomatic service staff on the occasion of their professional holiday.

“We are now in the third year of a full-scale war – preserving Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and our nation’s ability to achieve and continue achieving the necessary results. Over the past year, Ukraine has grown stronger and moved closer to the goal that unites our entire nation – we must defeat the invader, overcome this evil. We need a just peace, and each and every one of you must work toward this goal,” the president said.

Zelenskyy emphasized that being an ambassador or diplomat for Ukraine means being able to answer the question, “What exactly you have done to bring peace closer and to protect the interests of Ukraine and Ukrainians.”

He pointed out that 2024 will be crucial in this regard, with 2025 set to be a defining year for peace. "We must do everything to make 2025 the year of a just peace for Ukraine," Zelenskyy stressed, noting that major changes in international relations are expected following the change of the U.S. administration in January. 

He also mentioned key elections in countries like Germany and Poland that will influence global affairs.

According to the president, the balance of power and public sentiment are constantly shifting in regions such as the Middle East, the Gulf, North Africa, the Sahel, and Latin America. Ukraine must actively promote its interests in relations with China, India, and other Asian nations, strengthen its partnership with Japan, and build deeper ties with South Korea, Zelenskyy emphasized.

"There are hundreds of areas of relations in the world in which Ukraine needs real, concrete, tangible results. And this is your job – to be present in all the right offices, in the media, and in communication with all the people Ukraine needs, and to make your position clear, ensuring the desired outcomes for Ukraine. I thank everyone who works exactly this way – those who don’t just put in hours until exhaustion at the end of the day, or for the gratitude of their immediate supervisor, who don’t work from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but work for results for Ukraine," the Ukrainian leader concluded.

• In his last speech before completing his five-year term in office, EU Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell called on EU countries to be more united and quicker in their decision-making on Ukraine.