Thank you very much, dear Prime Minister, dear Dick, thank you so much!
And dear President Sandu, Maia!
Dear Secretary General Berset!
Thank you very much for your invitation. Thank you for everything, for your support!
Dear friends, Ministers!
First of all, I want to tell you thank you – to your nations, to your leaders, to just your people. This is very important that all these years of this war your nations are with us. Thank you so much for your people, for all this support – for us, for Ukraine, for people, and our children, and for our right to defend ourselves – in every sense of the word. Not only the right to physical protection as an independent nation against external aggression, but also the right to live – right to live a normal life safely, like everyone in Europe or any other part of the world deserves.
Today – and this year – things are being created for Ukraine that should have started a long time ago – at least back in 2014.
But really, in fact, considering how many wars Russia has started or supported, this should have happened even earlier.
Europe has a very, very long history of wars, and it cannot afford to treat this lightly. All pressure on Russia must remain in place as long as occupation of our land continues. Russia must feel that it is a criminal and face consequences for that – as long as our people remain in Russian captivity, and until the Ukrainian children abducted by Russia are brought home. Sanctions must limit Russia until it shows respect for peaceful life and the rights of its neighbors. And of course, of course, every Russian war crime must have consequences – for those who committed them.
We hope the Tribunal for Russian aggression will truly begin its work – not just for us, but for everyone who wants peace in Europe.
We expect that every mechanism for compensation from the Register of Damage and Claims Commission to the actual payments will start working and receive strong and sufficient international support, so that people can truly feel that any kind of damage caused by the war can be compensated.
This war, and Russia’s responsibility for it, must become a clear example – so that others learn not to choose aggression.
Thank you.
Glory to Ukraine!
