Morning! Good morning, everybody!
Donald, Mr. Prime Minister!
Chair Pisarska, Ma’am Madera!
Ladies and gentlemen!
Thank you for your attention to Ukraine and thank you for understanding that the challenges our nations face are shared ones – they can only be overcome together. Today, as always, we remember the words of Jerzy Giedroyc – without a free Ukraine, there can be no free Poland. Russians never stop at just one country. History has shown this many, many times. Now it is Ukrainians who have stopped Russia, and this matters. And this makes it possible to hold Russia back elsewhere – where they want to break through.
Today, we congratulate Moldova. In the elections, the idea of Europe won – the idea of normal and stable national development. Russia’s subversive influence will not spread farther into Europe. And I spoke today in the morning with Maia Sandu; I congratulated her. Russia failed to destabilize Moldova, even after spending huge, huge resources to undermine it and to corrupt whoever they could. What matters is that this election victory happened without decoupling. Ukraine was absolutely right about this, and I thank Poland, first of all, for its support. It’s important too that a former oligarch, who kept that country and our whole region in the shadows of dirty schemes, was finally extradited to Moldova. This act of justice and European cooperation matters not only for Moldova but for everyone in Europe. Because anyone who works against their own nation must one day be held accountable. This applies to everyone who chooses war and sides with Russia – from oligarchs and politicians to any other collaborators with Moscow.
And we can see how different this is from Georgia. Today, Georgia is in many ways lost to Europe. Maybe one day it will return, but for that, Europe must not close its eyes to what is happening there – and in Belarus. Every gain for Russia in our region is always a loss for Europe. That is why we cannot afford to lose a single day or a single country. After Moldova’s elections, we must keep supporting Moldova. After elections, the hardest task is to meet voters’ expectations. Europe can and must help Moldova with this – for our common interests. Of course, today in Europe, the focus is on immediate threats, and they are serious. But we must not forget the long-term political goals.
And regarding the most urgent threat today – this is something faced by many countries, not only Poland, not only the eastern flank, but also Northern Europe, and it could affect others too. The response must be joint, fast, and leave no opportunities unused. We’re ready to share our know-how and expertise – and our military can provide help. The drone wave against Poland on the night of September 10 was a test – not only for Poland but for all NATO. Russian jets violated Estonia’s airspace, and the new drone incidents in Northern Europe are another test for NATO as a whole – Russia is testing how far it can go. It wants to shift attention away from the brutal war it continues against Ukraine. Then come the voices asking if Ukraine gets “too much” support, or if Russia would calm down with less attention to Ukraine. These are false voices. Almost all security threats in Europe today come from Russia’s destructive actions, from the war Putin refuses to end.
So ladies and gentlemen!
Ukraine proposes to Poland and all our partners to build a joint, truly reliable shield against Russian aerial threats. And this is possible. Ukraine can counter all types of Russian drones and missiles, and if we act together in the region, we will have enough weapons and production capacity for this. If Russia loses the ability to strike in the skies, it will be unable to continue the war and will have to look for other ways to coexist.
And there is growing evidence that Russia may have used tankers in the Baltic Sea to launch drones – the drones that caused major disruption in Northern Europe. If tankers used by Russia are serving as drone platforms, then such tankers should not be free to operate in the Baltic. This is de facto Russia’s military activity against European countries, so Europe has the right to close straits and sea routes to protect itself.
We expect the 19th EU sanctions package soon. It must be strong – to pressure Russia and to show America that Europe will not do less than the United States of America and President Trump. And I thank you for your support.
Europe also needs to move much faster on Russian assets, using them for defense and rebuilding Ukraine. The ideas are there – European and American – they must be put into action.
I thank Prime Minister Tusk and Poland, and people of Poland, for years of support on Ukraine’s path to the EU. Ukraine’s membership is part of the security guarantees, a huge part – for us and for the entire eastern flank. A geopolitical vacuum is always an invitation to Russian aggression. That is why Ukraine must join the EU – and it will. We are doing everything required. And it is important that Ukraine’s accession is not delayed by the national politics of this or that country. This is not about what we have already gone through in history – it is about what we all must avoid. And what we must avoid is any dependence on Russia. That is why our independence, our strength, and our accession to the EU are also your strength, your independence, and your strong position in the EU. For our part, Ukrainians will not fail. Ukraine will defend its independence – and with it, the freedom of its neighbors, and a free Poland, of course.
Thank you. Thank you, Poland.
Glory to Ukraine!