4 MORE YEARS!:

In the two years since the Revolution of Dignity, Ukraine has made more progress as a country than it had since declaring independence in 1991. We are finally tackling corruption in a meaningful way, and we have introduced a raft of reforms that will help the state to function better. After our economy contracted for two consecutive years, we now expect to see it grow again. And we have achieved all of this under the most challenging of circumstances: while fighting a Russian-led war that has cost thousands of lives, and with a Russian occupation of the Crimean peninsula and the Donbas region crippling our economy.

Yet Ukraine continues its journey to becoming a democratic, fair and prosperous country at the gates of Europe, a vision that so many of my fellow citizens died for during the Maidan Revolution in the beginning of 2014 and continue to die for defending our country against Russia.

What we have achieved in the last two years we could not have done without the hard work and sacrifice of our people at home and, critically, the staunch support of our partners abroad. The partnership and support of the European Union has been very important. But nowhere has Ukraine found a better friend and more committed ally than the United States. Without the huge support America continues to give us, we would not be making the progress that we are today. That continued support is more important now than ever.

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