«We, the deputies, declare our full support for Zelenskyy», Mykolaiv City Council

Online broadcast of the session of the Mykolaiv City Council held on 27 February 2025. Photo: Screenshot from YouTube

Deputies of the Mykolaiv City Council have adopted an appeal in support of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The decision was made at a session on 27 February, according to NikVesti.

The appeal was initiated by Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych.

Sienkevych emphasised that Ukrainians who are now standing at the front are giving their lives for the country, while some politicians are trying to reduce support for President Zelensky. He emphasised that in fact, the support for the president is unprecedented and exceeds all previous figures.

«We all watch the news and worry about the fate of our country while Ukrainians are standing on the frontline and giving the most valuable thing — their lives. It's not just words, it's a real tragedy — hundreds of people die every day, and today they are defending our land. Our partners, who promised us full support and protection back in 1998 when they demanded that we give up nuclear weapons, are now simply abandoning us, inventing various interesting stories. They even say that perhaps Ukraine is to blame for the outbreak of the war. I will not go into details, because you have all seen the news, read it. However, like many of you, I was struck by the fact that some politicians claim that President Zelenskyy has no more than 4% support. I believe that history shows the opposite: the support for our president was probably one of the largest in the history of Ukraine. That is why we have prepared an appeal, and I would like to read it out,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

Online broadcast of the session of the Mykolaiv City Council held on 27 February 2025. Photo: Screenshot from YouTube

Live stream of the session of the Mykolaiv City Council held on 27 February 2025. Photo: Screenshot from YouTube

In the document, the deputies declare «their full support for the President of Ukraine» and emphasise that Russia has intensified «a broad information campaign aimed at weakening confidence in the leadership of Ukraine» and is trying to «create a split among its allies».

«We understand that pressure is now being exerted on the President of Ukraine — the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, whom the people have entrusted with the leadership of the country, and on Ukrainian society in general, to force us to make concessions to the invader. Russian propaganda, developed and refined over the years, is operating against Ukraine,» the statement reads.

At the same time, the document emphasises that «the Ukrainian people, together with the defence and security forces, are resolutely resisting any attempts to sow panic and disbelief».

«The war continues, and the threat has not disappeared. Our duty is to preserve the statehood, protect its sovereignty and not allow anyone to decide the fate of Ukraine without the participation of Ukrainians», the statement reads.

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The document was supported by 28 MPs, none voted «against» or «abstained».

After the vote, MP Fedir Panchenko from the party «Proposal» expressed the opinion that Ukraine should build a new security system that would not depend on foreign allies.

«In my opinion, it is absolute nonsense when the state is demanding reparations from a country with which it has not fought at all. Moreover, until recently, this state has positioned itself as Ukraine's largest and most consistent partner and ally. This is a new reality and a clear signal not only for our country but also for all European countries: there is no longer such a constant ally as the United States. Today they have one opinion, tomorrow they have another, and it is probably frivolous to hope for this. Therefore, it is our duty, and we have no choice but to build a new system of collective defence that will not depend on third-party players. For us, this is a matter of survival, and the question of our unity is now presented in the following way: we have two options — either unity or death. Nowadays, international politics works according to the following rules: either you are strong or you do not exist,» he said.

Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych supported the MP's opinion, adding that world politics has changed.

«Yes, many aspects have changed, and we see various projects and decisions in the UN where there is no longer an aggressor, it is disappearing, although we all know very well that Russia is an aggressor country that has insidiously attacked its neighbour and has been doing so since 2014,» the mayor said.

MP Oleksandr Bereza of the «Proposal» party also stressed that Ukraine's main goal is victory, and for this it is important to maintain unity at all levels. He called for not dividing into political camps and staying together to defeat the enemy together.

«I think that today our main task as a country is to maintain unity, including structural unity in terms of our government authorities. Political unity is also important, and we should not fall into disputes over the ratings of politicians. Just like in February 2022, our goal is the same: victory and unity of the entire nation around a common goal. I believe that it is too early and not entirely correct to assess the actions of our allies, as we, at our level, do not have full information about what is happening at the level of negotiations. We can only learn certain details from the news that comes to us. Therefore, Oleksandr Fedorovych, I absolutely support your initiative that we need to show the whole world, all our partners, allies and enemies, that we are united around our common goal of victory," the MP added.

As you know, on 25 February 2025, the Mykolaiv Regional Council unanimously supported President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Vitalii Kim, Head of Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, thanked the deputies for their support of the President, noting that in these difficult times, when the geopolitical situation is uncertain, it is important to demonstrate unity. He stressed that it is important for international partners to see the cohesion of Ukrainians and support for the President.

As reported earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to resign from the presidency in exchange for security guarantees.

Prior to that, at a briefing following the talks between the US and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump said that the level of support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy had allegedly fallen to a record low of 4%. Also, US President Donald Trump believes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not need to be present at the talks with Russia.

After that, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology published a new survey on trust in the President of Ukraine, where trust in Volodymyr Zelenskyy is 57%.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his support rating among Ukrainians remained high, so he saw no reason to make any changes to his position.

On 24 February, the Verkhovna Rada failed to vote on a resolution on democracy, which included the powers of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.