Three anniversaries of independence in Zelensky’s speeches: how the president’s rhetoric changed (infographic)

Parade speeches for national holidays in stable countries are, as a rule, pathetic and uninteresting in a positive sense, because behind them is a durable national identity and political stability. In such countries, the rhetoric of leaders is often ritualized. It changes little from year to year, revolving around historical traditions and symbols that embody national pride. In other words, everything is already clear to everyone about the values ​​and priorities of Germany, France, Great Britain…

Instead, Zelenskyi’s rhetoric is constantly in motion, reflecting the dynamics of war, changing attitudes, and adapting to new challenges. His speeches on the Independence Day of our country support morale, mobilize society, and shape narratives for the future.

It is noteworthy that even in 2021, when congratulating his compatriots on the birthday of Ukraine, Zelensky never uttered the word “war”.  Neither in 2019, nor in 2020, nor in 2021 did Zelenskyy mention Russia in his speeches. With the start of a full-scale invasion, his rhetoric changed radically. We carried out a content analysis of the holiday speeches of 2022-24 in order to track the dynamics of key words and meanings.

From unity to revenge

In the 2022 speech, the key meaning was unity as a condition for struggle and survival. Zelensky reminded Grandma Europe that she is not “weak, disconnected, passive, sleepy”, she is an active player who knows how to be tough and active. Ukraine united the world – this is probably the key message that Zelensky sent to the international community on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Ukrainians also received a message about unity and the second birth of the nation at 4 am on February 24, 2022. 

Zelenskyi dedicated his 2023 speech to everyone who gives Ukraine independence. He mentioned the representatives of professions that are key to the country’s security and their family members, who are suffering from anxiety and uncertainty. In the current and understandable context of the blackouts, he thanked the energy workers. He thanked the journalists for providing objective and reliable information to the world. He mentioned the volunteers with kind words. The key meaning of the festive speech of 2023 was gratitude. 

In 2024, with the beginning of the offensive of the Armed Forces on the territory of Russia, Zelenskyi’s rhetoric changed. The speech was addressed not only to Ukrainians, as well as to partners and friends from all over the world, but also to the enemy: “And whoever wanted to turn our lands into a buffer zone should think that his country does not become a buffer federation.” The president not only thanked his own, but also threatened others, promising a boomerang and our independence’s response to Putin’s evil and aggression.

So the key meaning of this year’s speech was revenge, a symmetrical response, retribution in Ukrainian.

Who are your own and who are strangers?

As soon as he assumed the presidency, Zelenskyi began to unite Ukrainians, showing with every speech that our value lies in the internal diversity of Ukrainian culture, traditions, and values. “We are different. But the only ones. We must be united, because only then are we strong,” is a fragment from the 2019 speech. “Understand that Ukraine is multifaceted and multifaceted, where “many” comes from the word “wealth”. The wealth of Ukraine”, and this is a message from the welcome speech of the 2020 “Covid” year. “We are a family. And the only thing that can separate us is a lavishly laid table. Where together we will certainly raise a toast to the fact that we have become a strong country”, and this is an encouraging promise of 2021. 

However, already in the speech of 2022, the president allows himself to depart from unifying rhetoric and introduces the category of those who “did not die, did not die, but dissolved as a person, a personality, a citizen, as a Ukrainian.”  We are talking, of course, about those citizens of Ukraine who went abroad to escape the war. “For some, this is Mariupol. For someone – Monaco”, “We will no longer interfere with each other”, – quite harsh and categorical in view of the destroyed cities and towns and the heavy burden of the occupation. It is noteworthy that in 2023, when addressing Ukrainians, Zelenskyy softens his rhetoric significantly: every Ukrainian becomes important again, not only here in Ukraine, but also abroad. “Who has not lost Ukraine in himself. Who came back and continues to fight. And those who will return. Necessarily”. 

This year, the president is positioning our refugees differently. He thanks those “Ukrainian men and women abroad who help, find, send the necessary, tell the world about Ukraine.” 

The rhetoric of unity is being restored, balancing everyone who has Ukraine in their hearts, regardless of where they are. 

Language as a tool for changing perception

Zelenskyi’s speeches demonstrate not only a change in rhetorical emphasis, but also an evolution of linguistic tools used to influence public consciousness. Before the war radically changed the tone of his speeches, the president’s speech reflected constructive optimism and national unity. After 2022, elements of harsher criticism and decisive action appeared in it, which corresponds to the circumstances of the war and the growing need for mobilization. 

“The sick grandfather from Red Square”, “The faded eyes of their chief perceive the whole world as a gray zone”, “repulse of the enemy in his swamps” – changes in rhetoric reveal the degradation of the aggressor country, disobedience, determination not to submit to the threats of the enemy. Today, Zelenskyi’s words contain calls for unity and hope, but also decisive messages for the enemy, which underlines the change in the country’s position in the global context. The president’s rhetoric becomes an important tool in the formation of the national identity and international image of Ukraine in the conditions of war.