"Nineteen years ago, we accepted the challenge of fate with great hope and faith, and we chose the path of creating and developing our own independent state. Now that we are entering the 20th year of independence, the government is doing all it can to make Ukraine an economically independent state, because real independence is based precisely on this foundation," Yanukovych said.

"The program of reforms I am proposing is a program to build an economically independent state. This is a program to create such a framework of independence under which the words 'the independent Ukrainian state' would be not just fine words, but the lifestyle of the Ukrainian people," he said.

"I am working on the implementation of judicial reform to make sure that people can count on honest and fair courts and that the law and human rights are the cornerstone of Ukrainian justice, rather than politics and money," the president said.

In his address to the nation on the occasion of Independence Day, the Ukrainian president said: "I am supporting and will always support the development of strong and free media, because they are the foundation of democracy. I will not allow the country to depart from the democratic path of reform in order to please the egoistic interests of some irresponsible politicians. I know that enormous efforts will have to be made and huge resources used to attain real economic independence."

Viktor Yanukovych said that the path chosen by Ukraine is very difficult: "But there is no other path to real freedom and real independence. There is no other path to an independent Ukraine in which I would like our children to live."

The head of state said that he would make every effort "to build a truly independent and prospering Ukraine, where people can live with dignity."