On August 24, Ukraine marks 35 years of independence.
For a person, 35 is already an age of maturity. For a state, it is a very short period of time. Especially for a country whose history of statehood extends far beyond the date we are commemorating today.
In 1918, the Ukrainian People’s Republic proclaimed its independence. Seventy-three years later, on August 24, 1991, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine. One important detail is that the document itself referred to the continuation of a thousand-year tradition of state-building. And on December 1, more than 90% of those who took part in the nationwide referendum supported independence.
That is why 1991 should be seen not as the beginning of Ukrainian history, but as the moment when Ukraine once again gained the opportunity to determine its own future.
Over these 35 years, we have also come to understand something else very clearly: independence does not end with a declaration or international recognition. It requires daily work.
A state remains independent when it has strong institutions, a competitive economy, its own human capital, and energy and technological capacity. When its businesses operate, people create new products, invest, learn, pay taxes, enter international markets and make long-term plans.
This is particularly evident in business. Resilience is almost never the result of one major decision. It is built through hundreds of decisions made every day: fulfilling commitments, retaining a team, finding a new market, restructuring logistics, continuing to invest when external circumstances call for far greater caution.
A country is built in much the same way.
The past few years have given Ukraine an experience that no one would ever wish to have. At the same time, they have shown very clearly just how much depends on people’s ability to take responsibility – in public administration, the military, business, local communities, education, healthcare and ordinary everyday life.
That is why gratitude is especially important to me on this day.
I thank the Ukrainian military and everyone who is defending our country.
I thank our partners in Ukraine and abroad for the trust they continue to place in us even in times of profound uncertainty. For their willingness to continue joint projects, seek new solutions and look at Ukraine not only through the lens of today’s risks, but also in terms of its future opportunities.
And I would especially like to thank the teams across all our companies. The people who come to work every day, make decisions, launch production, conduct negotiations, work with clients, create new products and keep our companies running. It is precisely this kind of daily, often unseen work that creates the foundation of economic resilience.
History is rarely made up only of major dates. Far more often, it is shaped by the everyday work of millions of people in between those dates.
At 35, it is only natural to talk less about who you want to become and more about what you are doing to get there.
I believe the same is true for Ukraine.
The next stage of our independence should be not only about preserving the state, but also about its quality. About an economy capable of competing for capital and talent. About modern industry, energy, technology and education. About institutions that people trust. About a country where people want not only to stay, but also to build a long-term future.
Thirty-five years is enough time to understand the cost of independence.
And at the same time, it is only the beginning of what we can do with it.