Thank you so much!
Thank you so much, dear Mette!
Dear friends!
We are all now in a new reality – and everyone, I think, understands this, even those who may not want to admit it yet. The recent drone incidents across Europe are a clear sign that Russia still feels bold enough to escalate this war.
And it was never just about Ukraine. Russia has always aimed to break the West – and Europe in particular.
Today, their strategy is simple – to divide Europe, to ignite arguments, to prevent us from finding common ground. And I believe we must do the exact opposite of what Russia expects. We must act together. And we must act with strength.
First, our guys are already here in Denmark. And there are experienced Ukrainians who know how to detect and shoot down attack drones. And they’ve already begun deploying their mission.
And we are ready to share this experience with you, partners. And this is just the beginning – the first step on the path toward an effective Drone Wall to protect all of Europe. Please, let’s work together on coordinated solutions that will make this happen.
Second, when we talk about the Drone Wall, we are talking about all of Europe. Not just one country.
If the Russians dare to launch drones against Poland or violate the airspace of Northern European countries, it means this can happen anywhere – in Western Europe, in the South. We need fast and effective response, and defense forces that know how to deal with drones.
And please keep joining the PURL program, it really helps our defense. Some countries are already part of it, thank you, and it’s very important that others join too. This program supports not only us but also strengthens ties between Europe and the United States of America.
Third, we must remember that the root of all these problems is Russia’s war. Russia still has the resources to keep fighting. And that’s not right. But we know the right steps.
A 19th package of sanctions against Russia for the war is urgently needed.
We also need to seriously think how to truly down Russia’s entire oil trade infrastructure – because that’s what fuels their war machine. Right now, we’re seeing that even tankers already under sanctions are still being used by Russia. That has to stop.
And let’s also place more sanctions against captains and crews of shadow fleet vessels as well as against the owners of the relevant companies.
And we need to think about placing sanctions on Russian oil terminals and the rest of their mainland infrastructure.
We should also support President Trump’s call to stop buying Russian oil here in Europe. It’s short-sighted to go against the USA – and guys from Hungary need to hear this clearly. Energy from the U.S. and other partners can fill the gap on the European market.
Next, we need to finally complete, one hundred percent, the work on security guarantees. We have already done a lot, and I’m grateful for that. Thanks to you, dear leaders. And now, we need to put everything on paper and fully prepare every, every detail. Security guarantees for Ukraine can already work now – they directly support our army. But overall, every nation in Europe deserves real security guarantees. The model of the security guarantees that works for us will work for you too. And we propose to eventually expand all effective models to others.
And finally, I want to congratulate – as speakers before me – I want to congratulate Maia Sandu on the victory – Maia, my congratulations – in Moldova’s parliamentary elections. These were very-very important elections. Europe has won. Moldova has won. And thank you to everyone who helped to secure fair elections. Now it’s time to move forward.
Supporting Moldova, Ukraine, and the Western Balkans on their path to EU membership is critical. We need real progress.
Ukraine has completed the screening process. We are ready to open Cluster 1 – and this must be done. Just as agreed. This will definitely strengthen the overall situation.
Thank you so much.
Glory to Ukraine!