Zelensky Addresses Yanukovych and Putin, Calls for Ukrainian Unity

A great many people are coming to our channel, guests, famous people, all sorts of people.

A man who needs no introduction, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Volodya, please! Good evening. Good evening! Good evening, everyone.

Ah, thank you so much for inviting me. It seems to me that today we aren’t divided into famous and unknown, eloquent and ordinary.

Absolutely. We are all Ukrainians, and that’s what unites us.

It’s a wonderful unity. It’s in our souls, in the heart of each one of us.

We are all going through this today. You know, I’ll try to be as tolerant as possible, as everyone likes to say these days, and brief.

Usually, I speak sharply in a joking way, today I’ll speak sharply, but without joking.

I want to be brief, and address specific people, not in general, but directly, on my own behalf.

First of all, I want to address uh, Mr. Yanukovych.

Dear Mr. Yanukovych, I know you personally, we've met more than once.

You are a strong man. More than once, you, uh, appealed to my reason and said that I should, it seems, be tolerant, and not joke so harshly.

I didn't listen to you. I didn't listen to you. Nevertheless, you never shut down the program “Evening Quarter”, because you did the right thing.

You were wise then, and strong. Today, you must remember that you are a strong man, and step aside.

There is no more history with you. You are no longer the president of Ukraine.

That is what the people of our country decided.

Believe me, in both the west and the east, in my beloved Kryvyi Rih, in every city, I'm sure, everyone thinks that President Yanukovych is no longer part of history.

Step aside. First. Do not allow any possibility of separatism.

Stop broadcasting at press conferences. I'm not interested anymore. This is boring. Sorry.

Leave. And secondly, I want to address our current government.

I could say many unflattering things, but we're on a respected channel, and I'll show you respect, and I ask you to respect the people.

If people in the east and Crimea want to speak Russian, leave them alone. Stop bothering them.

Legally, give them the opportunity to speak Russian.

Language will never divide our homeland.

I have Jewish blood, I speak Russian, but I'm a citizen of Ukraine.

I love this country and don't want to be part of another country.

Third. By the way, you promised that— you said our government was made up entirely of people from Donetsk and that we'd do things differently.

Now in our country, in the government, rather, there's no one from Donetsk.

And you promised us a government that cares, will take care of all the regions of our country, our united country.

Third. I very much want to address Mr. Putin.

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, do not allow, on your part, even the slightest hint of a military conflict, because Russia and Ukraine—we really are brotherly peoples.

I know millions, I know thousands of people who live in Russia, wonderful people.

We are the same color, and we have the same blood.

We all understand one another, regardless of language.

If you want, well, speaking personally, I tell you honestly, I'm ready. I don't know if you need me to, but I can beg you on my knees, but please don't bring our people to their knees.

And I want to address our Ukrainians. Guys, we are a great people, and you are a great people.

We are absolutely one country. We all love one another immensely.

Neither Europe nor Russia. Think only of yourselves.

If God can't help us today, then may reason and love help us.

I love you. That's all. Volodya, with Jews like these, we are a great people.

Thank you. Thank you. I'll joke like that.

It's nothing. Thank you. Ahh