Thank you so much, Dear Roberta, Madam President.
Dear Commissioners and Ambassadors, and all Members of the European Parliament.
Thank you for your kind words about Ukraine and about Ukrainians – and most importantly, thank you for your constant attention, constant support, and your firm position on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. We truly feel that many Europeans do care about what will happen to Ukraine and whether we will be able to achieve a reliable and lasting peace.
And we never chose this war. We did not start it, and we did not provoke it. And we do everything we can to stop it. And this is not the first time in our history that Moscow comes to Europe with a very cruel, ruthless, anti-European project. There are many dictatorships in the world. Some seal themselves off within their own borders, trying to block any outside influence of freedom. And others do not recognize borders at all and actively try to destroy the freedom of their neighbors, entire regions, and sometimes even the whole world. When we deal with Russia, we face the second type of threat. It’s a mentally unstable dictatorship that cannot accept that, in Europe, every life matters, human rights are important, and nations can be protected, whether they are big or small. Putin cannot accept one simple thing – that somewhere people can live differently and enjoy a life that is not the one he prefers. That is why he has been consistently trying to break someone – not just now, not just for 4 years, but throughout his entire time in power. He is war itself. Yes. And anyone who supports Putin cannot fail to understand that they are choosing war. This was true in 1999, and it is true today. He doesn’t even pretend to be different.
Putin’s Russia started with the war in Chechnya, then moved on to Georgia, and openly disrespects the independence of all its neighbors – except China and North Korea, because it depends on them. Russian forces destroyed lives in Syria and in African countries, and in many, many ways, this is also what caused the waves of migrants to Europe. Russia supports the insane regime in Iran and ignores any number of killings. And we cannot pretend this is not happening.
The European Parliament has never, never deceived itself and has never traded European principles for any benefits in relations with Russia. Many European leaders, national parliaments, politicians, and millions of Europeans act with the same principles. And I thank all of you for this.
And unfortunately, this is not the first time Ukraine has to defend itself from a Russian invasion. But it is the first time we have such a large coalition supporting Ukraine. And this is one of our shared achievements – of everyone who was not afraid on February 24, 2022, and of everyone who is not afraid today. And today we must be just as determined and strong as we were when the invasion began. The threat hasn’t become smaller. Yes, we are holding Russia back, but we have not yet guaranteed security. And only together can we do this – together in Europe, yes, together with America.
And of course, we all understand that this is not an easy task – to maintain transatlantic unity and cooperation in the current conditions. But I am grateful to everyone who, despite all the challenges, continues to preserve this globally important link between Europe and America, and between all the world’s democracies. We must continue to firmly apply the full range of protection against Russia – from strong sanctions to real support for life after Russian strikes. Each of you understands what fills Putin’s wallet with money and allows him to drag out this war. So there must be no place in the free world for Russian oil, for Russian tankers, Russian banks, Russian sanctions evasion schemes, or for any Russian war criminals – the time has come to fully ban all participants in Russia’s aggression from entering Europe.
We also need the full range of security guarantees for Ukraine – to prevent Russia from spreading its aggression in Europe, and to ensure that we can support any European nation if it becomes a target of a new Russian war. Right now, there is an important decision, important decision on the table – 90 billion euros in support for Ukraine over two years. This is a real financial guarantee of our security and our resilience. And it must be implemented. And I thank everyone who is working to make it happen – thanks, all of you.
And it is important for us to receive a clear date for joining the EU, very important – as a part of the diplomacy process right now, within all the diplomacy aimed at ending the war. And this is not just a wish. It is a clear understanding of how Putin will act. If there is no date, if there is no such guarantee, he will find a way to block Ukraine for decades by dividing you – by dividing Europe. We must protect ourselves from this.
And I am really, I’m grateful to every European country that is working with us to support our energy system, our air defense, and our Coalition of the Willing. The Coalition of the Willing has already brought together European nations, the United States, Canada, Japan and others. Please help give real substance to the work of the Coalition of the Willing – and truly be willing to end this war. In many ways, we can see how Russia shows contempt for Europe. But Russians should learn that Europe is not just a land for the villas of Russian oligarchs, it’s not a museum for the lovers of Russian officials to admire beauty, and not a place of leisure for Russian killers. Russians must learn that Europe is a union of independent nations and millions of people who do not tolerate humiliation and will not accept violence. Please continue to defend the European way of life. Please support Ukraine. Please support our diplomacy for peace. And be effective – every result you achieve is a line that Putin cannot cross.
Thank you for all these years. Thank you so much.
Glory to Ukraine!
