Ukraine Will Win!

My Keynote Speech on the Occasion of the One-Year Anniversary of Diia CITY United

Last Friday, Diia CITY United—Ukraine’s business association of product tech companies— celebrated its first anniversary.

I was honored to deliver a keynote speech at that event, which you can read below.

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I want to congratulate everyone at Diia CITY United. Even while stopping Russia’s barbaric invasion of your country and enduring Putin’s terrorist attacks on your civilians, you continue to work to build a prosperous Ukraine. I am in awe of the resilience of the Ukrainian people.

I want to tell you honestly that I wish my country was doing more to help you in your fight for sovereignty, independence, and freedom. I said that when Joe Biden was President. I continue to say it now that Donald Trump is President. We should be providing more and better weapons to help your warriors. We should be imposing more and better sanctions to reduce Putin’s resources to finance the war. We should have transferred the hundreds of billions of dollars of frozen Russian Central Bank assets to Ukraine long ago. We should have designated Russia as a State Sponsor of Terrorism years ago.

February 7, 2025.

Now, with the new Trump administration, we have entered a new phase of uncertainty in our bilateral relations. The messages I hear from the new administration are mixed. There are good things and bad things. I am most encouraged by the fact that President Trump has pledged several times to help end the war and is engaged on this issue. It could also be a positive sign that Trump, based on his words, is willing to use his relationship with Putin to bring about peace. And for the first time ever last week, Trump said some critical things about Putin and how he was ruining his country. That’s a positive sign, too.

But regarding a deal, the devil is in the details. Just giving Putin everything he wants is not a deal. It is capitulation and appeasement. Instead, Trump needs to help negotiate a peace deal that is just and lasting. Ukraine must receive real security guarantees from the United States and Europe. In my view, the only credible security guarantee is Ukraine’s membership in NATO. I know my view is not shared widely within the Trump administration, but I continue to make the case for it. If Western leaders are not willing to bring Ukraine into NATO, they must then offer an alternative. We cannot allow the Russian army to recover and only launch another war in a few years’ time.

Moreover, so far, I see no indication that Putin is serious about negotiations. But I support Trump’s efforts to try to mediate an end of the war as long as Ukraine has a seat at the negotiation table, and the Ukrainian people accept the outcome.

While I cannot predict how the war will end, I have confidence in predicting three long-term outcomes for Ukraine.

First, Ukraine will emerge from this war as a strong, united, and independent country. You have already prevented Putin from obtaining his central war aims, like “denazification” and “demilitarization” of Ukraine. Your democratically elected leader, President Zelenskyy, and your parliament are still in power, and Ukraine is militarily equipped like never before. I have no doubt that when the history of this war is written, historians will record that Putin’s Russia lost this war, and Ukraine won.

Second, Ukraine will also become a major security provider for the rest of Europe. Today, you have the best army in all of Europe. That’s why I am such a strong supporter of Ukraine’s membership in NATO; I know that Ukraine will be a major contributor to security for the entire alliance.

Third, after the war, Ukraine will emerge as one of the most dynamic economies in all of Europe, especially when it comes to technology and innovation. Even before the war began, Ukraine was ahead of the world’s many developed countries in terms of technological innovation. I remember when I first saw the Diia App: Andrei Stavnitser from Odessa showed it to me five years ago. We still do not have something so sophisticated in the United States! Tragically, this war has compelled you to innovate faster, especially regarding drones, AI, and other military applications of high tech. I think Ukraine will become Europe’s most sophisticated tech hub, playing the same role that Silicon Valley plays in the American economy but in Europe. And many of you in the room are already building a modern, innovative, and cool Ukraine. Keep innovating! Keep building! Keep moving forward! History is on your side.

Slava Ukraini!