Address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

We need to talk?

I agree. Let’s talk. First of all, with you, fellow Ukrainians.

You are smart people and you must turn off emotions for a moment and turn heads on.

The announced teleconference is just a cheap yet dangerous PR trick before the elections aimed to once again divide us, Ukrainians, into two camps.

The first camp will be told by politicians:

“Of course! Let’s talk, we must forget the insults, we are fraternal nations. Never mind thousands of our men killed”.

The second camp will be urged to resent. And, hiding behind patriotism, politicians will earn points for the elections:

“Look how I oppose the godfather of Putin’s child!” Although, he has not noticed him for 5 years, but that’s no big deal…

They will start to crush and burn the TV channel, creating a wonderful picture for Russian television about “raging fascists who oppress freedom of speech in Ukraine”.

Then the first camp will be told: “Stop tolerating this junta! Vote for us at parliamentary elections”.

And this trick will give Russia a reason to appeal to the international community:

“You see, we are ready for a dialogue, but they do not want that! So, maybe it’s time to lift the sanctions?”.

I appeal to all Ukrainians! We are not a camp. And we do not need to be separated.

You are now manipulated by politicians who really want to get into parliament.

The difference between them is one – the ones will plunder in Russian, and the others will plunder in Ukrainian.

Think about it: both so-called pro-European and so-called pro-Russian politicians live in peace and quiet with each other in the neighborhood of a famous village near Kyiv.

After staged brawls in the Verkhovna Rada and in the studios of political talk shows, they calmly come together behind a three-meter-long fence of someone’s estate and drink expensive whiskey that costs your three monthly salaries.

What do they toast to? To Russia or to Europe?

In my opinion, definitely not to Ukraine.

Please keep calm and do not give in to provocations.

Our response will be appropriate in order to preserve quiet, order and information security of the country.

I want to appeal to the journalists of these channels separately!

Somebody bought the channels, but they did not buy you.

You are not someone’s property! You are not a collection of Medvedchuk, not servants of Rabinovich.

You are the fourth estate, you are also servants of the people.

And now I want to turn to President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. We need to talk?

We do. Let’s talk.

Let’s discuss whose Crimea is and who is not in Donbas…

I suggest the following company for our conversation: You and I, US President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron.

Venue? I think Alexander Lukashenko will be glad to welcome us in Minsk.

We do not change or reject any diplomatic formats.

We suggest you to talk.

We need to talk, don’t we?