On the 34th day of the war, on 29 March 2022, the head of the Ukrainian state addressed the members of the Folketing and called on Denmark and the entire democratic community of the world to constantly strengthen sanctions against Russia, to give up Russian oil, to block trade with the Russian Federation, to close ports for Russian ships, and to raise the issue of solidarity in the defence of freedom and humanity at the level of the European Union.
“It is you, in Denmark, in the country where the basic principles of the European Union, the Copenhagen criteria, come from, who can feel most of all how important it is for all-European solidarity to work for pressure on Russia. Because this pressure is for Russia to seek peace. This is pressure to give the necessary protection to all the basic values on which life in Europe is built and which are now completely trampled by Russia in Ukraine”, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President of Ukraine thanked Danish people who help Ukrainians, as well as Danish companies that have decided to leave the Russian market. He also called on Denmark to be leaders in Europe in promoting the decisions we all really need, first of all, to accelerate green transformation on the continent and to give up Russian oil as soon as possible.
The leader of Ukraine also invited Denmark to join an initiative to rebuild Ukraine after the war: “Knowing your potential, your creative economic power, I offer your country to take patronage over one of our beautiful regions after the war... Mykolaiv, the city of shipbuilders, can become such a city, such a region, which will unite you and us even more. Which Denmark can help rebuild.”
Having stated that that the warm light of candles for Danes symbolises home comfort and ordinary good human life, Volodymyr Zelensky asked everyone to light a candle at home tonight in memory of all Ukrainians whose lives were taken by Russian aggression.
Text of the address in Ukrainian, English and Danish
Video recording of the address