Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. [applause] [applause] Mr. President, we are very pleased to welcome you. My name is Jan. I am the head of the youth council at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I will be moderating our youth dialogue today. We have gathered over 100, I think several hundred young people from Ukraine, from different corners, from west to east to the partner countries and participants of the Carpathian Integration Initiative. So I would like to welcome you, and I think that if you wish, of course, we can come straight to the dialogue. How are you? I believe that dialogue is more interesting than speeches, because speeches have their own important things, messages that are relevant, in my opinion, and the Carpathian Initiative, it is already clear that it is a fairly successful start. I congratulate everyone. I am very glad that we have such a segment of youth, because the Carpathian Initiative is about the future, about development, and development is, first of all, about strong, beautiful, energetic people. This is our youth. Therefore, it is clear that youth are an important part of the Carpathian initiative. It started yesterday with the political dimension. The leaders met, then there was the economic segment, the opening of the economic forum. I really want it to be interesting with the result. There are agreements for serious investments. I think this is positive. There is also a sports segment. How wonderful that today our military, our veterans, the President's Cup in hand-to-hand combat took place and those people who defend our state on the battlefield competed. Among them, among the participants, there were a lot of such guys and now they showed their skills. This is the right, very right direction. Well, and definitely young people. Definitely young people. I'm glad we've come to this element. Therefore, I congratulate everyone on the Carpathian initiative. The initiative is positive. Well, we must not lose momentum and move forward. Thank you. Thank you. Then, I think, we can move on to the actual dialogue. I will ask the participants to raise their hands. I see there are colleagues from Poland. So, please, I have a word for you. Do you understand us? Do you have a translator ? Oh, okay. sitting right there. Um, very glad to be here. It's a huge honor for us to represent the Polish youth. Last month at the end of August, we actually visited Kiev for days with the council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine who organized this visit for us. not only to meet with officials and to see the war in our own eyes which is totally different than seeing it on TV and on the news as we have been for for the past years and obviously that was a very influential experience for us but also to meet with you from the key of oblast and from other youth councils and I think that the main issue that we agreed is the biggest for our two countries and for our youth relations is how to navigate stations on a level between Poland and Ukraine so that not only the Ukrainians in Poland that are staying there currently [snoring] can live in peace and have a good life there and eventually come back if they want to but also how to talk to each other during war about it and I wanted to ask what's your vision for that how would you facilitate the relations between Poland and Ukraine especially in the context of the last few months. Thank you. Thank you very much. First of all, thank you for representing your uh country here. Uh, thank you for coming. Yes. Uh so first of all I mean how we will do our relations stronger because I think that we have good uh strong partnership between us and including even including questions you mean historical questions and etc. I understand that it's a challenging period. with questions but if not to not to be afraid and to find an answer but an answer in difficult questions will normalize any difficult challenges I'm sure yesterday prime minister Tusk uh was here we had conversation very very good conversation and we are I think strategic partners Polish government and Ukrainian but the most important thing not to lose the relations between people and the fact that you are here [snort] shows that our people ready to speak to have common to find and common answers to difficult questions. I think such steps are very important. Dialogue first and foremost, I think that even on very difficult issues, is actually de-escalation, not escalation. And I think a platform like this is a great place, a great time to ask these kinds of questions. And it is also worth understanding and paying attention to the most important issues. We need to talk about the past. And we also need to focus on the future. Otherwise, it won't be about youth. Otherwise, it will not be about real strong joint actions for unification between Poland and Ukraine. Our adversary is Russia for Ukraine, for independence, for democracy. And if this is for democracy, for Europe, then this is a common enemy for Poland as well. And in such cases, we need unanimity not only with Poland, but also with all of Europe. First of all, with Poland, because we are great neighbors and we must be friends. I think we're pretty friendly already. We have many things in common that are important to us. And I'm sure that gives you the answer. Truth? That is why we need not be afraid to be true friends, to provide answers to difficult questions, to not turn a blind eye to difficult problems, and to have more dialogue and more and more cooperation. And many different meetings, many different summits, where we can make investments together, how Ukrainian business will invest in Poland. I understand that it is quite difficult now because of the war, and Poles could invest in Ukrainian businesses. We have already done a lot of work together on this and we will rebuild our country. And during the reconstruction, it is clear that this is a rather serious issue, Polish business will come here for the restoration, for the renovation of Ukraine, and this will all bring us closer. Thank you. Thank you. Than. And please. I know, I see, there is a question from the lady. Please, you have the floor. Good afternoon, Mr. President. My name is Marina Snysko from Hungary. Young Ukrainians and Hungarians are trying to work together to build a direct connection between our countries. And in time, a youth summit will be held in Budapest. And now the cooperation has grown into an international platform where young people from Ukraine, Hungary, and many other countries develop joint projects and learn how to work together. And we are ready to do more. Mr. President, can you answer this question, can diplomacy alone build a bridge between our countries for a new chapter in our international relations? Thank you. I think only you can. Indeed, this is what I believe, because we have had certain problems for a certain period of time between the politicians of our country and the country of Hungary. We had our own views on our war. And for us, Russia is an enemy. And for many politicians from Hungary, we know that Russia may not be exactly a friend, but a partner. And you know, I won't mention specific names, I'll just say it in general. It's not that we have a problem between people, between nations themselves. The problem is this. When a leader gives a signal, for example, the previous government of Hungary had a different relationship with us. And now a lot of money has been invested in order to, I apologize, I don't want to be rude, but they wanted to increase hatred between people. And this is actually a pretty big problem. There are indeed historical problems between us. It's not about people, because the leader of one country is a leader for a few years, not for all of history. And indeed, in a dozen years, this bridge can be broken, it is much easier to destroy than to build. And that's why we're counting on your creative vision , because it's all going to fall on you. Rebuilding relations between Ukraine and Hungary is a task for young people. And I am sure that there are a lot of people in Hungary who support Ukraine. And there are a lot of people in Ukraine who respect Hungary. And we need to build more bridges, not break them. I think it's more beneficial for all of us. And, for example, your Prime Minister, he was invited to the Carpathian Initiative and he, I honestly don't know, maybe he was busy, but maybe it would be good if he found time for our relations, because the previous government really destroyed everything that connected our two countries. Well, at least most of them. And we see that the new government is showing different steps, a different position. And we are moving towards the European Union. And I had good conversations with your Prime Minister. I really hope we make a lot of positive changes. At least we'll try. Thank you very much. [applause] Thank you. Who else in the audience has questions? Please. Microphone on the right and left. Good afternoon, Mr. President. My name is Vladimir. I represent the regional youth congress of Zhytomyr region. And my question is the following. Unfortunately, due to the war, we have a big problem with demography, which in itself caused young people to leave the country and receive refugee status, including to partner countries in our Carpathian initiative. So, the question is, will there be a dialogue and projects within the Carpathian Initiative that will be aimed at returning young people from abroad to Ukraine? Thank you for your question. Various people left, including children who had already become young people during the war. Unfortunately, we are aware of all these processes. The main thing is always, well, how to bring back a person who sometimes mentally changes over time, through choice. My parents left at the beginning of the war, at the beginning of the first occupation in 1914. Many years have passed. And when a person, uh, time certainly changes a person's environment and at school, different friends, I understand, different friends, a different language. But if the person himself wants not to forget Ukraine, if parents understand that it is very cool, first of all, to know more languages and speak different languages, to know the culture of other countries and especially those friendly countries that hosted you at the beginning of the war or at the beginning of the 14th century. And I think that all this knowledge, if you return all this knowledge to Ukraine later, of course, if you want, again, I always say absolutely openly that there is no slavery. Ukraine is an attractive country. Safety and economy are priorities. I'm sure the war will end and people will return. I don't know how much or what percentage will be returned. And it will depend on what I said, upbringing, on the parents who did not let the child forget Ukraine in their heart, in their brain, in everything. And it will certainly depend on the restoration of the state, business conditions, and jobs. To find yourself, yes, a place for yourself, so that a place in Ukraine is not only a patriotic desire for you, right? What is important, once again, is very important to return, to restore the state, but you can also find yourself, uh, show your skills here, uh, combining the knowledge that you had and that you bring, that is, bring home. I [clears throat] think that if there is security, economy, uh, and love for Ukraine, that is also very important. I think all this makes it possible to bring people back. And people of different generations went. You remember, probably, you remember, the first first blows people took. Many people took their children, young children, elderly people of all ages, people went, and many people didn't go and went to the front. Well, war, this is war. And everyone made their own choice. This was especially true in the first days of the war. And I think that every person will make their own choice in the first days after the end of the war. Everyone needs to work to end the war. We all need to work on this . Thank you. [applause] Thank you very much. By the way, my colleagues and I conducted research among active Ukrainians abroad. Why? Just what are the barriers to return. And 70% of respondents called us security issues and called it a factor, after the resolution of which they would be ready to return. Therefore, this is a very important factor. And if anyone else has any questions, please bring the microphone here. Congratulations. Anastasia, head of the Bukovina Youth Congress. Mr. President, first of all, we sincerely thank you for your timely and apt international initiative. It is directly aimed at the future, therefore, it will have a direct impact on our youth. We see undeniable points of contact between the participating countries. Conditionally, culture, history, our beautiful Carpathians. Well, I would like to mention national minorities. Do you see any limits to cooperation between participating countries in the development and work directly with national minorities? Thank you. Thank you very much. The issue of national minorities should not be a problematic issue that is sometimes raised politically, but a question about the fact that you have such a country and everyone is cool in it. Yes, we should be proud that the country has many different people, many different communities, national communities. Yes, some say minorities, some say national communities. And this is very attractive, because it has its own contribution, a cultural contribution, a historical contribution, a linguistic contribution. That is, you have a multifaceted state, we have a multifaceted state, and each of the Carpathian countries, in principle, has approximately the same thing. The difference in the number of its minorities. Why? Because the border region is always about national communities trusting each other and working together. Somewhere, relatives are on the other side of the border. There should be no borders between us . When we are in the European Union, that's how it will be. There will only be borders, well, let's say security ones, and everything else is conditional. And most importantly, there should be no economic borders and no cultural ones. We can be different, but there should be no boundaries between us, as between people . It is important to respect all communities or minorities here. Why? Because usually when partners talk to us, partners in the European Union raise the issue of national minorities. Look, everyone is raising the question of how this or that national minority lives in Ukraine. The question must be honest. That is, we must fight to ensure that there are no problems for national minorities in Ukraine and Ukrainians, just like minorities in other countries, our neighboring countries. Because it's about the same challenges, the same questions. If there are issues in schools, there are not enough schools, classes, etc., okay, but let's also look abroad while it's there. Yes, across that border. What about Ukrainian schools, what about respect, etc.? I am sure that these issues can be resolved through dialogue. Sometimes it seems to us that complex issues are resolved exclusively in the legislative field. I think not. Because this way, you can vote on thousands of bills in the Verkhovna Rada. But if there is no respect between nations, between countries, then, you know, like, well, nothing will work out, of course. [clearing throat] So I think that again this is a question that we shouldn't be afraid of, it's normal. It can be very productive, on the contrary, it can unite people even more strongly. to build a solution to the issue of national minorities not as a global challenge, but as it is. And it's great that we have different national communities and we should only get added value for the country from this , and not the other way around. Thank you. [applause] Thank you very much. Who else has questions? And let's take the back row a little bit. Here , please. Well, yes. Congratulations, Mr. President. My name is Maria. I represent the Lviv community, in particular the European Youth Capital team. I think you know what I'm talking about. Well, we know what difficult circumstances our country is living in today , what big, terrible, infrastructure problems there are, because every day the enemy, well, hits residential buildings, hospitals. And at the same time, there are various studies that show the cost of housing in Ukraine, which also greatly influences whether young people plan to stay here or migrate. So I have a question for you. Perhaps you and your team have been developing some projects or programs to provide preferential rent for housing for young people in Ukraine in the near future and for the coming years? Thank you for your question. We have housing, if we're talking only about housing programs, then I think there are enough housing programs in the government. There are several credit programs. Or maybe they are under-communicated, maybe we don't know everything, you know. Yes, I will definitely contact the Prime Minister and ask, because there are many different programs for students, for young families, for veterans, for soldiers who returned from war or their families. While a person is in the military at the front, their families need to find the right program so that it looks respectful to our military. We sometimes forget, thinking that at the front we must work exclusively at the front. No, in the rear. They have families in the rear, and they don't just need to be supported. There are really a lot of programs. maybe undercommunicated, if we're talking about it. If you have any ideas, well, that's what you came here for. Well, come up with ideas, make suggestions. Well, I think everyone would be happy to support it. We need to fight for young people so that they stay in Ukraine. And if housing, especially among students, we know the problematic issue with dormitories and the lack of places. And to be honest, the quality is, well , so-so, to put it mildly, well, yes, so- so. And where in some moments there are downright terrible conditions, yes. Therefore, I know that the relevant program for the restoration of these dormitories has been adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers. The Ministry of Education should work with communities on this program. And again, if you have additional ideas, please do so. Thank you. Thank you very much. I think we still have time for one more question. Please. I see it here. Yes. Mr. President, the Carpathians are at the same time a promising territory for dynamic, economic and investment development. And, of course, natural value. I don't want to use the word reserve, but it's somewhere close. Tell me where you see a reasonable balance, because what is good for the local economy is not always good for nature. very difficult. I completely agree with you. Well, there is legislation in any case that regulates the territorial possibilities of having certain reserves. And the Carpathians, as you said, can be called a large reserve, but there are specific reserves on the territory of the Carpathians. there are specific reserves. Sometimes, the law is probably violated and we know examples where construction is prohibited. Well, here the law must be followed to preserve our lungs as much as possible. That's what they say about the Carpathians. Therefore, it is very important to preserve it. If we are not talking about today, you know, there is a person in business who wants to make money right now and there is a strategic business, then taking into account the fact that the Carpathians are unique and the restoration of the Carpathians after total development there, I believe, is impossible. And so I would still treat this as a strategy. The strategy is to preserve the Carpathians, to invest in a business that will not destroy the microclimate, the macroregion, but the microclimate that we have in Ukraine. Well, it's expensive, because restoring nature takes hundreds of years, or even millennia. Yes, nature renews itself, and not always, though not everywhere. Therefore, I [clearing my throat] would protect the Carpathians first and foremost and would treat business , well, let's say, investments are very important. Yes, well, I really want there to be, if we're talking about tourism, there to be , there to be a cool hotel, not just those stalls, you know, there, well, to rent out, build quickly, to rent out and collect rent, but to completely build everything up and cut down the forest. I would like business and legislation to treat the Carpathians, work together, and treat them strategically, not tactically, right now. Although now money is needed for all this. Thank you very much. If we have the opportunity for the final, I would suggest that you have the last question, and then the final. Well, actually, some were faster than expected, so I suggest we end on that note. Mr. President, congratulations. You mentioned ideas, youth social housing, that would also be a solution for the return of young people. So, by the way, we submitted proposals and, with your support, the youth council in Lviv has already built such housing. And in fact, we have a lot of housing in the country and we simply need to conduct an audit and put it on balance, and regulate the issue of issuing social housing accordingly. And now to the question. Well, I would like to thank you for signing the Law of Ukraine on Mentoring, which is currently being actively promoted by people's deputies and I would like the support of the president's office, in addition to signing, I think it would go even better and I would like to take a selfie with you to popularize mentoring. So [applause] can I include you in the information company? By the way, the deputies also have such T-shirts. Can I take a selfie? Thank you. [applause] [applause] Thank you. I think it turned out to be a good, productive dialogue. For our part, as young people, let us not be passive, but rather actively act and promote ideas. What age is youth now? Up to 35.5. Yes, from 14 to 35. by law. And what law should be passed to bring it up to 45? Prepare. The Minister of Youth and Sports should propose proposals. And I really want to. Why? Because it's very nice to be among young people. Such energy. Well, thank you very much for that. Thank you for meeting. Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes! [applause] [applause] [applause] [music]