Zelenskyy: We're glad to see anyone from any country in Ukraine, but we raise issue of Ukrainians returning
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at a meeting with young people, thanked those who are already returning from abroad and expressed confidence that the country will see an economic upswing after the war ends.
"You are needed by your homeland – this is not pathos, this is a fact. Today we are talking about how we can bring Ukrainians back… Of course, we are an open country and are glad to see anyone here, from any country, but we are still raising the issue of the return of Ukrainians – millions of them, our own people, our loved ones, back home," Zelenskyy said on the talk show "Home Is Better!" created by the Ministry of Youth and Sports jointly with the President's Office of Ukraine.
He said he did not want to give young people advice on returning: "You decide for yourselves."
"I am very grateful to those young people, to those people who are in Ukraine and who are returning to Ukraine. As for advice, of course, many people will return after the war ends, and they will be very much needed, but today they are needed right here, in Ukraine – to help and defend it," the president added.
Asked how to establish communication between those who left and those who stayed, Zelenskyy expressed the belief that people sometimes build walls between themselves because they are not ready to tell one another the truth: "that I left because of the war and am not returning because of risks, because of various fears."
"Distance exists primarily because we are very often afraid to tell the truth. I think it is important to do this today, not when the war is over. One can return at any moment, but it is important to admit to oneself: where you are, what is happening to you, why a person left. There is nothing wrong with that," he said.
The president also said that competition in Ukraine’s labor market has now decreased significantly.
"This is bad for the economy, but this is war. The war will end, and I believe that those who were here have more chances to start one business or another, and many chances to rise very strongly afterward. People always invest in difficult times… After the war, there will be a major upswing in Ukraine, this is natural. There will be challenges because of the war, because many people will return home to find themselves, for understandable reasons. The state must prepare for this. There will be reconstruction – there will be money; money brings various investments and businesses back here, and therefore these are opportunities," Zelenskyy said.
