As part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence in August this year, the original version of the Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk will be brought to our country from Sweden, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.

"I promised a surprise and now it is no longer a secret: for the first time in 311 years, the original version of the Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk will be brought to the Ukrainian state. We are returning Ukraine to Ukraine. The presence of the original Constitution in an independent state is another step in restoring our historical continuity from the times of Kyivan Rus, Cossack glory, and the Ukrainian People's Republic to this day," Kuleba wrote on Facebook on Friday.

He noted that, on behalf of President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian diplomats asked Sweden to provide the original Latin version of the Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk (1710) for its temporary display in Ukraine as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of independence.

"These were very difficult negotiations, we were offered a copy, but we wanted the original only, which had never been in Ukraine. And therefore, I am especially grateful to Sweden for showing real solidarity with Ukraine and mutual readiness to further develop millennial ties between our peoples," the Foreign Minister said.

He also thanked the head of the Swedish National Archives Riksarkivet for "the opportunity to present this extremely important for the history of the Ukrainian state relic to Ukrainians and numerous foreign guests."

In addition, he also expressed gratitude to the Swedish Foreign Minister and a number of Ukrainian diplomats and officials.

"By the way, Orlyk Constitution will not be the only Swedish exhibit – Linköping City Library has agreed to provide a hetman mace for temporary display in Ukraine, which, according to a legend, belonged to hetman Pylyp Orlyk after hetman Ivan Mazepa," Kuleba said.