OTTAWA – In his first public address on his first overseas visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told delegates attending the Ukraine Reform Conference in Toronto on July 2 that the host country for the third annual gathering is a model for Ukraine.
“Canada sets an example of the kind of country we’d like to become – a country of prosperous and happy people who live in harmony with the outside world, in harmony with the environment and with themselves,” said the 41-year-old Ukrainian head of state.
“We do not have any global ambitions. But we are ready to surprise the world in a pleasant way.”
Mr. Zelenskyy referred to the Toronto Raptors recently becoming the first non-U.S. team to win the National Basketball Association (NBA) championship.
“Look at me – you wouldn’t be surprised if I told you that basketball is not exactly my game,” said the 5-foot-6 president. But the Raptors’ win, he said, is a “great example that reflects the task facing Ukraine. To win when you’re an underdog, to unite and attain the impossible.”
The former actor-turned-politician reiterated the message he delivered in his May 20 inaugural address, when he urged Ukrainian expatriates to return and “build a new state – a state that would focus on its citizens, which is what brought me into politics. I wanted to live in a country like this.”
To amplify his point, Mr. Zelenskyy again turned to the world of professional sports and paraphrased a quote from National Hockey League (NHL) legend Wayne Gretzky, a Canadian who is of Ukrainian ancestry. “You’ll never be able to achieve your goal if you don’t try – so I tried,” said the president in his rendition of the actual, hockey-related quote: “Only one thing is ever guaranteed: that is that you will definitely not achieve the goal if you don’t take the shot.”
While international delegates at the Ukraine Reform Conference discussed their ideas about Ukraine and the challenges it faces, the country’s president outlined his goals and the principles that he will uphold.
“The human being is the top priority. It’s not people working for the state; it’s the state working for the people,” said Mr. Zelenskyy. “For 28 years, we’ve had the state working for the immediate circle and family members of a particular person. We need to change the ideology of our government institutions, the mentality of public servants. Ukrainians want a different relationship, where citizens will be customers and government will just provide services – and not interfere when not needed.”
He said his administration’s key tasks would be to eradicate corruption; create an independent court system; digitize government services through the use of artificial intelligence-technology; and attract foreign investment with the “single purpose of raising the standard of living for Ukrainians.”
President Zelenskyy vowed that, within a year, he would be able to talk about Ukraine’s “successes” – and not just “aspirations.”
“I strive for positive changes, not just because I want to surprise the world community, but because this is what my citizens expect of me,” said Mr. Zelenskyy. “Ukrainians are tired of waiting – for a government that is not corrupt, a strong economy, good infrastructure and security.”
Under his watch, he said, Ukraine will continue to work with international monetary institutions and its military will operate under the standards of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. “Today, more than 300 Ukrainians participate in eight peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the United Nations and NATO,” said the president, who also noted that he is committed to the return to Ukraine of Crimea and of its prisoners of war. “Peace is something that a country should provide for its citizens – and the only way to peace is through diplomatic efforts.”
Building Ukraine’s economy is also a priority; rebuilding the war-ravaged Donbas alone will cost about 10 billion Euros (about $11 billion U.S.), according to Mr. Zelenskyy, who told the conference that a forum will be held this fall in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol to attract international investment in humanitarian and infrastructure projects in the Donbas.
The occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions, along with Crimea, are Ukrainian territory, he stressed.
“This is something that the Russian government should heed to, and the whole world should keep repeating that to them,” President Zelenskyy said. “The return of Crimea and a stable situation in the east of Ukraine are the only guarantees for a peaceful world. Remember that when you discuss sanctions next time.”
Environmental protection is another global issue that needs to be addressed, and Ukraine is a willing partner in this effort, he added. “We understand the challenges facing our planet – climate change, the contamination of oceans,” said Mr. Zelenskyy.
“Sometimes the saying ‘not in my backyard’ is attributed to Ukrainians. This is nothing but a myth. Our interests are not limited by our backyard.”
He explained that Ukraine (as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic) was one of the founding member-nations of the United Nations in 1945, and that Ukrainians helped the Allies defeat Nazi Germany during the second world war. “We paid the cost of millions and millions of people,” said President Zelenskyy of Ukrainian losses during World War II. “We were the first to give up nuclear weapons.”
“Ukraine is ready to tackle world issues, but at the same time, we have this question: What are the rules? We shouldn’t be paying for our naïve attitude, for being gullible,” he said, without providing any details.
He was among friends – of Ukraine, at the very least, including Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, who made the president feel at home in Toronto.
“I understand why you are a successful politician,” she said in Ukrainian, and proceeded to highlight Mr. Zelenskyy’s references to the Raptors and Mr. Gretzky, who began his storied NHL career with the Edmonton Oilers. “As a [Member of Parliament] from Toronto, I [also] grew up in Alberta – so you covered all the bases,” said 5-foot-2 Ms. Freeland, who added that basketball is not her game either.
Later that day, the president turned his attention to Ukrainian immigration to Canada at a dinner held in his honor by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, which was dubbed “Ukraine House,” during the Ukraine Reform Conference.
Speaking in Ukrainian, he paid tribute to farmers Vasyl Eleniak and Ivan Pylypiw, the first recorded Ukrainians to arrive in Canada, who set foot in Montreal in 1891 from the Halychyna region, which was then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Mr. Zelenskyy recounted how, when Eleniak and Pylypiw returned home to Ukraine singing the praises of Canada, they were arrested and jailed for months for encouraging people to emigrate. Yet that setback did not stop Ukrainians from immigrating to Canada: between 1891 and 1941, some 180,000 settled in Canada – mainly in Manitoba and in what would become the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta.
“Ukrainian people know how to build a new nation. They made a great contribution to the prosperous and democratic Canada,” said the president. “Today, Ukrainians are prepared to build a new successful nation in Ukraine.”
Ukrainians also know how to “overcome difficulties – the harsh Canadian winters – the hunger and starvation and disease. We know how to vanquish problems,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine and Canada make a “great team,” and when Team Canada scores a goal in hockey, “we are proud that we also contributed to that success and we share it,” added Mr. Zelenskyy, noting that the hockey sticks Canadian players use are made at a factor in the western Ukrainian city of Mukachevo.
The collaboration extends beyond the ice, he emphasized, and includes joint information technology and space projects, as well as using Ukrainian aircraft to transport cargo to northern Canada, according to the president, who concluded his remarks by paraphrasing former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, the late father of the current PM.
“Our hopes are high. Our faith in the people is great. Our courage is strong. And our dreams for this beautiful country will never die,” the elder Mr. Trudeau said in his 1984 farewell speech as leader of Canada’s Liberal Party. Said Mr. Zelenskyy: “He spoke about Canada, but his words echo in the hearts of many Ukrainians. I am convinced that we will be able to build a strong Ukraine that will be a strong and reliable partner of Canada.”
The following day, in a July 3 address to the Economic Club of Canada, Mr. Zelenskyy delivered a simple message in Ukrainian: “Invest in Ukraine – this is my key point. I can stop here,” he said to laughter from the audience. “We need a lot of money, so I will continue.”
But his mood turned serious when he said that neither Ukrainians nor investors “trust the judicial system,” and that his administration would “change” that.
“In the coming years, we have an ambition to become an Eastern European economic tiger, and we will do it,” he promised.