Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a freedom fighter inspiring the world

In the early weeks after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, adolescents around the world swooned as images of him flooded social media.

T-shirts appeared sporting his iconic statement asking for ammunition, not an escape route out of Ukraine.

With just a few simple words, he had communicated a genuine commitment to his nation: firstly, by deciding to remain in the capital, at his own peril; and secondly, by promising to fight.

Zelenskyy's nightly addresses to the people of Ukraine have been instrumental in maintaining morale.

His speeches are honest and direct. He reports to the citizens, giving details of what he has done that day, who he has spoken to, what decisions were reached.

He is candid in his emotional reactions: we see his disbelief, grief and anger. When NATO countries refused to close the sky, his disappointment and frustration were palpable.

We could sense his horror as the genocidal atrocities at Bucha came to light.

The way in which he delivers his addresses varies, day by day. We see him statesmanlike, seated in the presidential office. We see him walking the streets of Kyiv as he talks. We see him casually leaning forward into the camera, almost whispering, confiding in the viewer - we can almost believe he is speaking to us, one-on-one.

Here is a striking aspect which has marked his entire presidency: his presentation of himself as no more, and no better, than an ordinary citizen.

Indeed, he campaigned on this, and he appealed to voters precisely because he was not part of a political or financial elite.

During his inauguration, Zelenskyy told members of parliament that government officials should not have a photograph of him on their office wall because he was not an icon, just a person who wished to serve his nation. Now, in a time of war, he describes himself as a Ukrainian citizen like any other, with a job to do.

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Zelenskyy has also been successful in mobilising the support of other nations.

He has appeared via video link in the parliaments of many countries and spoken to inter-governmental bodies and international agencies. He is able to connect with his many audiences, one of which has been young people at schools and universities. In June, Zelenskyy addressed a group of Ukrainian secondary and tertiary students temporarily residing in Poland.

This interaction seemed to me to be heartfelt and sincere, and a rare occasion on which he smiled.

To me this signalled a conscious effort to speak to young people respectfully and engage with them on an equal footing.

Zelenskyy smiled warmly when he spoke with Canadian students and he has also appeared via video-link to university audiences in the United States, Britain and Japan.

Now it is our turn as the Ukrainian president is scheduled to address students and staff at ANU on Wednesday.

This is timely: outside of NATO countries, Australia is the largest contributor to Ukraine's defence against Russia's unprovoked, unilateral invasion and has provided some $390 million in military and humanitarian aid.

It is fitting that young Australians - our future leaders - have the chance to hear directly from the Ukrainian navigating what many have described as the most profound geopolitical crisis since the Second World War.

What can we expect from Zelenskyy's address? As we approach sixth months since the full-scale invasion, he may ask that we do not allow ourselves to forget or set aside what is happening in Ukraine. He may remind us of why Australia, and the Asia Pacific more broadly, needs to engage in this battle, as he did when he addressed both houses of our Parliament on March 31.

He will undoubtedly look to the future and ask his young audience for assistance, not only in rebuilding Ukraine but in defending the rule of law and our contemporary values of democracy in the face of imperialism and brute military force.

After all, we live in a world and a time in which we are all interconnected, or as ANU Profesor Duncan Lewis has said, "there are no distant events".