Debate: Formal sitting - Address by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
Date: THURSDAY, 9 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Language: EN

Thank you, dear representatives of Europe and leaders of Europe. All of us Europeans, each of the hundreds of millions of people in our continent, combine these two attributes, as do the representatives and leaders of Europe. This combination reflects what our Europe, a modern and peaceful Europe, gives to the world – the European way of life, European living standards, and European rules for life. It is in Europe where each and every person matters; where the rule of law exists; where states strive to be social and societies strive to be open; where diversity is a value and the values of different people are united by fairness and equality; where borders are not violated, but where you don’t notice when you are crossing borders; where people trust and have faith in tomorrow and are ready to take to the streets to fight for their future; and where there’s only one barrier between protesters and the president, and that is honest elections. This is our Europe. These are rules. This is our way of life. For Ukraine, it is the way home. I am here in order to defend the way home for our people, for all Ukrainians of all ages and of various political convictions, various social statuses, various religious convictions and different histories. All of us enjoy this common European history – the Ukrainian European way of life that they tried to annihilate through total war. Why? Because after the European Ukrainian way of life, they want to destroy the European way of life in all 27 countries of the European Union. We will not allow that.  The total war that is now being waged by Russia is not only for territory in this or that part of Europe. The danger is that there is a dictator with massive supplies and reserves of Soviet weapons and weapons from dictatorial regimes, Iran in particular. In order to be able to fight like this, the Kremlin, cynically and deliberately, year after year and step after step, has been trying to eliminate and destroy what we see as our values in Europe. The value of human life has been destroyed in Russia. For the authorities there, nobody is of value apart from those who are in the Kremlin and have their own wallets at heart. The 140 million Russian citizens are, for the leaders of Russia, just bodies capable of carrying weapons for Russia on the battlefield and in order to keep everybody obedient. The supremacy of violence and obedience are the rules instead of law. The Russian regime not only hates any social justice and diversity, but they are also investing in xenophobia and trying to make it the norm on our continent. They are trying to make the inhumane realities of the 1930s and 1940s a reality today. But the answer to that for us is ‘no! No! Europe!’ We are defending ourselves against the most anti—European force in the modern world. We are defending ourselves. We Ukrainians are on the battlefield together with you!  I thank you now for defending it together with us. We must defend ourselves. It’s important not only for the states of Europe, but also for communities and societies in Europe, no matter who we are or what we are. We always fight against disrespect and neglect. Wherever we live, we always put our faith in integrity, for whatever we dream of for our children and grandchildren. The precondition for these dreams is peace and security. Will that be possible if we do not overcome the anti-European force that is trying to steal our Europe from all of us? No! Only our victory will guarantee all that. Each of our European values makes our victory essential. Dear leaders of Europe! Dear Madam President, ladies and gentlemen! Dear Members of European Parliament! Dear officials of the European Parliament and of other European institutions here! Dear journalists, security service workers, military and army personnel, police officers and rescue workers! Dear workers of municipalities, diplomats, teachers, professors and scientists! Dear doctors, drivers, seaport workers, farmers and industrialists! Dear workers in industrial enterprises! Dear owners of small and large businesses! Dear workers at banks! Dear energy workers and electricity grid workers! Dear trade union workers! Dear students and representatives of NGOs! Dear producers and actors, lawyers, defence lawyers and human rights defenders! The fate of Europe has never depended on politicians, and there should be no such illusion now. Each and every one of us matters. Each and every one of you is strong. Each and every one of you is capable of impacting and influencing our common outcome – our common victory! This applause is not directed to me. I’d like to thank all of you in Europe – in hundreds of towns and villages – who have supported Ukraine in this historic battle. Thank you! I would like to thank all of you who have been helping our people, our ordinary citizens and our resettled people here, and who called on their leaders to increase and step up their support to protect our ordinary people. I thank those who were on the squares, who were raising questions, who were spreading the truth about the Russian aggression, who were not tempted by Russia to consume Russian disinformation, and who are standing by us in our fight for life and for Europe. I thank you. I thank all of you who help Ukraine with vitally important supplies, weapons, ammunition, energy equipment and fuel, with the thousands of things without which we would not be able to endure this total war. I thank you, ladies and gentlemen, Members of the European Parliament, and you personally, Roberta. With your decisions, you defend the European way of life steadfastly; you defend the Ukrainian European way of life. You approve courageous decisions and you strengthen the European ambition to be a home for justice and freedom. I recall the first day of the large—scale invasion, when the Russian ambition to break us and Europe as a whole was still adamant. It was when the Russian aggression was beginning to break its teeth fighting our defences on the sixth day of the large—scale invasion. The European Parliament approved a resolution not simply to support our state, but also to approve our country’s status as a candidate for membership of the European Union. That was the vision that motivated us to be strong and to stay the course. Today, during the meeting of the European Council, I will be able to thank personally the heads of state and government for the decisions that, over the course of the last year, have allowed our continent to do what the previous wave of leaders considered impossible. Europe, at last, is relieving itself of the ruinous dependence on the Russian fossil fuels. Europe is cleansing itself of the corrupting influence of Russian oligarchic business. Europe is defending itself from infiltration by agents of Russia’s secret services, who look at Europe as a hunting ground for opponents of the Russian regime. For the first time in its history, the European Union is providing military assistance on such a large scale, and I see a positive assessment of the reforms in a European country that is fighting and defending itself while modernising and reforming its institutions. We are getting closer to the European Union. Ukraine is going to be a member of the European Union – a victorious Ukraine! Ukraine is going to be a member of the European Union – a victorious European Union! Dear friends, perhaps some of you have not felt before the power of the European way of life. Now, together, Ukraine and the countries of the European Union have made our strength obvious. How is this possible? Because we combined a principled and energetic approach. We are all equal in representing Europe and integrity. We know that everybody is a leader of Europe in his or her own life and specific place. We do not retreat in the face of the enemy – we defend ourselves! We are not wasting time – we are changing ourselves and we are changing things. Europe will always remain Europe, as long as we are together and as long as we take care of our Europe and of the European way of life. I thank all of you. I invite you all to Ukraine. Glory to all Ukrainians who are fighting, and glory to Ukraine!