KYIV – In a nearly 15-minute greeting on New Year’s Eve, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, surrounded by an assembly of children, spoke to the nation on the year’s past accomplishments and challenges, and his plans for the future.
Using the word “we” 22 times and “Ukraine” 14 times, Mr. Zelenskyy emphasized the country’s diversity while switching between the Ukrainian, Russian, Crimean Tatar and Hungarian languages.
“Ukrainians are who they are,” he said. “Not perfect and not holy…but our passport doesn’t indicate whether a Ukrainian is right or wrong. There is no term [in it that says] ‘patriot,’ ‘little Russian’…or ‘Banderite.’”