“Peace is a reward only for the strong. Therefore, there is no alternative to a strong Europe. And for strength, of course, unity is important.”, — write: www.president.gov.ua
Prime Minister Orban!
President Michel!
Dear leaders!
I am glad of this opportunity to meet and work together in the interests of Europe and our peoples.
I spoke with President Trump yesterday, as did many of you. It was a productive conversation, a good conversation. Of course, we cannot yet know what his actions will be. But we hope that America will become stronger. This is the kind of America Europe needs. And a strong Europe is what America needs, in my opinion. This is the bond between allies that should be cherished and cannot be lost.
We face many challenges. Since our last meeting in this format, there has been a significant escalation of the Russian war. And it was Russia that caused this escalation. North Korea is now essentially waging war in Europe. North Korean soldiers are trying to kill our people on European soil.
Since the July summit of the European Political Community in Britain, there has been a lot of talk about the need to give in to Putin, retreat, make some “concessions”. And in fact, some of the leaders, even from Europe, strongly advocated for Ukraine to make “concessions” to Putin. This is unacceptable for Ukraine and unacceptable for all of Europe. And what’s next? Should Europe seek the favor of Kim Jong Un in the hope that he too will give Europe peace? No strong leader, thanks to whom a united, strong and peaceful Europe was built, could even imagine such a thing. But the concept of “peace through strength” has proven its realism and effectiveness more than once. Now it is needed again.
And there should be no illusions that a just peace can be bought by showing weakness or trading some European positions or the status of some European country. It just doesn’t work that way. Peace is a reward only for the strong. Therefore, there is no alternative to a strong Europe. And for strength, of course, unity is important.
Russia did not start this war because it needed more territory. Of course not. Russia has more land than anyone else. She wanted global power, first – control over Ukraine, and then – over all of you, as was once the case under Soviet or imperial rule. Budapest remembers what Soviet tanks look like. Ukrainian cities will not forget Russian bombs. And just like Budapest, every city in Ukraine and all our countries deserve safety and peace.
First of all, I thank all of you for supporting Ukraine and our people. We defend ourselves not from Russian words, but from Russian attacks. That is why we need a sufficient number of weapons, not support in negotiations. Hugging Putin will not help. Some of the leaders have been embracing it for 20 years, and things are only getting worse. He thinks only about wars and will not change. It can only be restrained by pressure.
Secondly, we have built a clear diplomatic system capable of pushing Russia towards a just peace. Most of the countries represented here have joined this work for effective diplomacy. Each point of the Peace Formula has already been discussed at the thematic conferences. Nuclear security, food security, energy, return of prisoners and deportees, deported children to Ukraine, and full compliance with international law, and much more. We need to push Russia to this. And a just peace will be our common victory. You have a winning plan on the table. Therefore, Ukraine was the first to propose changing our joint strategy in order to achieve – and as soon as possible – a just peace.
And let me emphasize: this war is taking place on Ukrainian soil. This is important. Ukraine is grateful for all the support from our partners, and we are open to any constructive ideas to achieve a just peace for our country. But it is Ukraine that must decide what should and should not be on the agenda to end this war.
The bill for this war should be billed to the Russians, not to Ukraine. So that Russia can no longer put forward its false claims to everyone around – from the Baltic countries to the Balkans. Any country, any leader who respects international law and sits at this table must understand that predators always demand more and more prey.
Thirdly, during this war we saw the failure of certain European approaches.
For example, the closer the country is to Russia, the weaker the concept of neutrality becomes. The rapid accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO showed how European and Alliance leaders actually envision guaranteed security – not in words, but through NATO. Ukraine took note of this.
Fourth, Russian assets. I want to thank everyone, every leader who defends the right of Ukraine to use funds from Russian assets to defend against Russian aggression. The Russian state does not value people or morals – it values only money. And therefore, it will also be a lesson for them when Russian assets work for Ukraine. Frankly speaking, this is Ukrainian money. It was in Ukraine that Russian troops destroyed hundreds of towns and villages. Millions of our people have lost their homes. Funds are needed for this. And now, instead of looking for reasons to delay decisions, it is necessary to find a mechanism to direct funds to Ukraine so that they start working as soon as possible.
Fifth, Putin’s funds for the war. We all know that Russia still makes enough profit from the sale of oil to continue the war. Russia still evades sanctions and buys components for drones and missiles around the world. Russia still has the ability to sow instability and meddle in nations in regions like the Sahel, North Africa, the Middle East, and countries like Yemen. Why is Putin doing this?
We need leverage on him. All of Europe needs them.
And together we can not only stop Russia’s war against Ukraine, but also respond to other challenges. It is possible for us, it is possible for Europe, not for one individual leader. I ask you to unite to protect the common interests of our peoples. And so we must work together with our allies for our common interests.
Thank you once again for the invitation, Mr. Prime Minister.
Thank you for your attention! Thank you for your support.
Glory to Ukraine!
