 I'm going to start by quoting someone you might not expect to hear cited here. And that is President Vladimir Putin. On the eve of the G20, he gave an interview to my alma mater, the Financial Times, in which he announced that the liberal idea is dead. Now, yesterday was Canada Day, so I hope you'll forgive me for being a little bit extra patriotic. But the truth is that I can think of no country that more powerfully rebukes that idea just in the way we are than Canada. And I can think of no leader who stands more strongly for liberal democracy here at home and around the world than my Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. Standing out for liberal democracy and the rules-based international order is at the heart of Canada's foreign policy. And that is why the Prime Minister so strongly supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, we recognize that Ukraine is quite literally on the front lines of that fight. My Prime Minister recognizes something else as well. And that is that for all of us, the struggle for liberal democracy has to start at home. And as a final thought, I want to share with you the conviction which I believe is at the heart of Prime Minister Trudeau's fight for liberal democracy here in Canada. Our Prime Minister, and I remember so clearly how he talked about this with me when he first persuaded me to quit my job and run for political office here in Canada. Our Prime Minister believes that politics at its core is about service. It is to use a phrase that will be familiar to President Zelensky about being a servant of the people. Mesdames, messieurs, j'ai l'honneur de vous présenter notre leader inspirante, le très honorable Justin Trudeau, le Premier ministre du Canada. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us. It's great to be here in Toronto. Merci, Christiane, pour ton accueil et pour tout le travail incroyable que tu fais en tant que ministre des affaires étrangères. Comme vous le savez tous, la ministre Freeland nous aide énormément à renforcer nos liens avec l'Ukraine. Elle veille toujours à ce que la relation entre nos deux pays demeure une grande priorité. Merci, ma chère amie, pour tout ce que tu fais. And let me extend once again a sincere congratulations and a warm Canadian welcome to the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, welcome to Canada, Mr. President. With 1.3 million proud Ukrainian Canadians living from coast to coast to coast, I hope you'll feel at home here. It's been a real pleasure to host the President and his delegation in Toronto today. They're here for a bilateral visit, yes, but also for this very special gathering, the Ukraine Reform Conference. The conference now in its third year is a testament to the enduring friendship between our nations and our people. It brings together leaders from all facets of society, from countries around the world, to chart a path, a path forward, as Ukraine writes an important new chapter. It is absolutely vital that in the face of foreign interference, we reinforce democracy in Ukraine to ensure a vibrant, prosperous and free society. When President Zelensky was elected, the people of Ukraine sent a very clear message not only to their own political leaders, but to the entire world. They demanded meaningful change, bolder and more ambitious than ever before, and I'm very hopeful that the new Ukrainian government will deliver for its citizens. As nations around the world have learned, putting people first, prioritizing unity and upholding the rules-based international order is the clearest path to prosperity. And as our Ukrainian friends do this important work, Canada will be there as a friend and ally every step of the way. As the first Western country to have recognized the independence of Ukraine in 1991, Canada is on the side of Ukraine from the very beginning. And we have multiplied the bridges over the last few years, whether by contributing hundreds of millions of dollars in aid or development, by concluding a new deal of free exchange or by deploying Canadian electoral observers to ensure Ukraine's electoral integrity. As some of you know, I had the immense privilege of visiting Ukraine as Prime Minister just a few years ago, and the highlight of that trip was visiting Canadian troops stationed near the Western border. Since 2015, the Canadian armed forces have trained over 12,500 members of Ukraine's security forces as part of Project Unifier. And meeting with our servicemen and women on the ground and seeing their incredible professionalism firsthand reminded me of two things, the value of teamwork and our shared dedication to a safe and secure Ukraine. As you see, a strong, stable Ukraine is not only important for Canada, it's important for the entire world. It is essential that we preserve a rules-based international order, and that's why we've extended Operation Unifier until 2022. And let me be clear, Canada will always defend Ukraine's sovereignty, and we will denounce Russia's aggression and illegal annexation of Crimea at every turn. Mr. President, we've been a partner to Ukraine from the beginning. You could count on us then, and you can count on us now. On security, on democratic reform, and on economic growth and prosperity, I offer you Canada's unwavering support. So ladies and gentlemen, it is now my great privilege to welcome to the stage the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. Dear Prime Minister, dear France, ladies and gentlemen, that's it, now in Ukraine. I'm very happy to be here today among our sincere friends. Ukraine is very grateful, and we really value the support that Canada provides to us, despite more than 7,000 kilometers that separate our countries. We always feel that you are next to us. Thank you so much. You know, when yesterday we walked here in Toronto, I didn't feel that I'm that far away from home. You were here, your native tongue, you see the language, you see the monument to Ukraine, people are smiling in the streets, and I thought, maybe I'm in Ukraine, but then we entered a restaurant, I got the check, and I realized, no, this is not Kyiv, this is Toronto. It's cheaper here. It's not a secret that in Canada you have one of the largest Ukrainian, the Esperance and we're extremely grateful for everything you're doing for Ukraine. One of the largest Ukrainian, the Esperance, and I hope you'll be able to come to Ukraine, not as guests, but to see your home. I hope you'll be investing in Ukraine that you'll be able to utilize all of the rights as citizens, and at some point I'll proudly say that we'll have the largest Canadian, the Esperance in the world. In reality, today Canada sets an example of the kind of country we'd like to become, the country of prosperous and happy people who live in harmony with the outside world, in harmony with the environment, and with themselves. We do not have any global ambitions, but we're ready to surprise the world in a pleasant way. Just an example, in Canada, there's only one professional NBA team, the Toronto Raptors. This team is a champion of NBA 2019. Look at me, you wouldn't be surprised if I tell you that basketball is not exactly my game. Nevertheless, this is a great example, which reflects the task facing Ukraine to win when you're an underdog, to unite and attain the impossible. This is something that I mentioned in my inauguration speech when I addressed Ukrainians of the world to come back home and to build, not to repair, but to build a new state, a state that would focus on its citizens. This is not just a subject matter about today's discussion. This is what brought me into politics. I wanted to live in a country like this. Did I understand that it's going to be hard? Definitely I did, but I can quote from the NHL legend, Wayne Gretzky, who also has Ukrainian extraction. One thing is for sure, you'll never be able to achieve your goal if you don't try. So I tried. I'll tell you about the country that we want to build through reforms and about the principles that I will stand for. Number one, the most important. A human being is the top priority. It's not people for the state. The state should be working for the people, honestly speaking. For 28 years we've had the principle of the state working for a human being, but always it was just one human being, probably the immediate circle and family members of that particular person. We need to change the ideology of our government institutions, the mentality of public servants. Ukrainians want different relations where the citizens will be the customers and the government will just provide services. Number one, help when your help is asked for. Do not interfere when it's not needed. And number third, understand the difference between the first two concepts. Let me name the key tasks facing my team is to eradicate corruption and create independent court system. Digitalize all the government services. We hope that artificial intellect will replace the government official's intellect, improvement of the investment climate, attracting investment into the country, everything for the single purpose to raise the standards of living of Ukrainian citizens. Obviously I'm not saying anything very revolutionary for any civilized country. These are standard slogans for Ukraine. These are just dreams. We're working for these dreams now. I've been in this position for just a month and I understand that time is very limited. And sometimes I kind of reproach myself for saying things rather than doing things right now. So a year from now, I do not want to talk about aspirations or hopes. I want to report about our successes. I strive for positive changes, not just because I want to surprise the world community. This is something my citizens expect of me. You should not only listen to the people or tell about the changes which are imminent. They're coming just very soon. But every day implement changes that people will feel and understand. This is my vision of a state for its citizens. This is the vision all Ukrainian share. They're tired of waiting. They're not asking for the impossible. They want regular earthly matters. The government which is not corrupt, strong economy, good infrastructure, security. This is why Ukrainians chose the European Vector of Development. And this is the choice that I'm going to defend. We'll continue working with international monetary institutions. And we'll introduce NATO standards in Ukraine and we'll make Ukraine closer to NATO. By the way, I'd like to emphasize that today more than 300 Ukrainians participate in eight peacekeeping operations under the auspices of United Nations, NATO, and this is a record figure while we are not members, a member of NATO. In my opinion, our movement to the west should be a two-way street. And we expect specific steps from our international partners. Obviously, we cannot talk about the development of Ukraine without remembering Donbass and the Crimea. We need to return our territories and return our prisoners of war. Peace and peaceful situation is something that the country should provide for citizens without peace. All of the other positive changes are secondary. It's like mowing the lawn in front of the building which is on fire. The only way to peace is through diplomatic efforts. And we count on your support and thank you so much for this support. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. Additionally, there are two major challenges. One is economy. According to estimates, you will need 10 billion euro to restore Donbass. In the fall of this year, we'll carry out a forum in Mariupol that will invite international investors who'd be interested in financing humanitarian and infrastructural projects in Donbass. I invite all of you, all of you, with your money. The second challenge, it's informational challenge. We should not only return our territory but our people. Mentally, they should not lose their contact to Ukraine. These are our citizens. And today, they're afraid they have Ukrainian passports. They're also issued passports of Luhansk, Donetsk, Republics, and also Russian passports that are trying to confuse these people. Meanwhile, they're all Ukrainians. Whatever language they communicate in the bus, the language of our country is Ukrainian. And we should be aware of that if we want to bring these people back. It's obvious that this is the most complicated challenge that is facing Ukraine. And we'll keep repeating. The Donetsk region and the Crimea are part and parcel of Ukraine. I know that there are many people in Russia who understand that, too. And I know that there are people in Donetsk and in the Crimea who are afraid of talking about it. I know that there are a lot of people in the West who support us. But the fact that Donetsk and Crimea are parts of Ukraine, this is something that the Russian government should heed, too. The whole world should keep repeating that to them. This is something that is needed not only by Ukraine. You also need that. The return of Crimea, the stable situation in the east of Ukraine, is the only guarantee of the peaceful world. Remember that when you discuss sanctions next time. It's known that there is a long list of things that we need to do inside the country. But it's not only our own issues that we think about. We understand challenges facing our planet, the climate change, the contamination of oceans. You say in Ukraine, I'm not in my backyard. And sometimes they attribute this statement to Ukrainians. This is nothing but a myth which has nothing in common with reality. We are not, our interests are not limited by our backyard. We are not indifferent, and we kept proving it to the world. Ukraine has been one of the founders of the United Nations organization. The contribution of Ukraine into the victory over Nazi Germany. We paid the cost of millions and millions of people. We were the first to give up nuclear weapons, and we paid high price for that eventually. Yes, Ukraine is ready together with the whole world. We are ready to tackle the world issues. But at the same time, we have this question, what are the rules? We need to know these rules. We shouldn't be paying for our naïve attitude for being gullible. We need to understand when the global interest should be the priority and when the national interest should be a priority. Otherwise, we'll keep facing double standards in the world arena. So let's sit at the table and define what these rules are. I would not believe that, and I would probably laugh, but I understand the responsibility laid upon myself, and I understand only together with Ukrainians and our friends in the world. We will be able to overcome that. I'm dreaming about Ukraine, which was a success. I know how difficult our path forward is, but as Wayne Gretzky said, we will not reach a goal unless you try. Thank you very much to all of you. Thank you for your support, Prime Minister. Thank you for your support. Slava Ukraine.