Debate: Formal sitting – Speech by Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada
Date: WEDNESDAY, 8 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Ruslan Stefanchuk
Language: EN

Esteemed Madam President of the European Parliament, esteemed Madam President of the European Commission, dear colleagues and friends. On 1 March 2022, in the first phase of the large—scale aggression against Ukraine committed by Russia, together with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, I had an opportunity to address the European Parliament. I very well remember those moments, because I was choking with emotions in my throat because the most horrible large—scale war had started in Ukraine. I am feeling the same emotions now, but for different reasons, because today I am standing among friends and I have – for the first time over the last 105 days – a chance to address the European Parliament openly. I feel that I have the support of Ukraine in its entirety. Therefore, I sincerely thank each and every one of you. Thank you for being with Ukraine, thank you sincerely for your trust in Ukraine, and thank you very much that Ukraine is Europe. In the first days of the war, we were all shocked because nobody believed that – in the middle of the 21st century, in the middle of Europe – a brutal, undeclared and horrible war could be launched. I understand that the entire world was shocked and confused, but we started acting. We started with the most important things – we started to unite. We united at the level of the state, at the level of the people, and at the level of power. We understood and realised that the most important thing today is to preserve Ukraine and to do everything possible to make sure that Ukraine perseveres. We wanted to unite the entire civilised world around Ukraine, because we were aware that this was not just a war against Ukraine, but that it was a war against the values, principles and foundations of the world order. Therefore, we have been standing as one for 105 days, defending both Ukraine and the entire civilised world. On 1 March 2022, the European Parliament strongly condemned the actions of the Russian Federation. The European Parliament has always been a powerful voice for the entire European Community, and perhaps one of the highest moral authorities that exists on the European continent today. I would like to thank you, on behalf of each and every Ukrainian, for being the first to make your powerful voice heard in such a strong and unanimous manner in support of Ukraine. You were with us from the very first days. We all remember that President Roberta Metsola was in Kyiv when it was still besieged, and when the enemy forces were in Irpin and Bucha, in Hostomel and Borodyanka. She arrived in Ukraine and she addressed the Ukrainian Parliament from the very heart of Kyiv. Therefore, Madam President, I would like to thank you once again for your courage in doing what you did then. We heard powerful words of support for Ukraine from you. Then you spoke about hope. You called on the entire world to act, and you quoted the words of the great Ukrainian poet, Taras Shevchenko. You addressed the Parliament with the words ‘Keep fighting – you are sure to win’. Madam President, we are fighting and we will win, and we will do it together. Now, concerning what Ukraine has had to face over the last 105 days: in addition to the enemy aggression and in addition to the numerous missiles that are flying and landing on the heads of ordinary Ukrainians – a huge number of whom have been killed, wounded and maimed – we are seeing that the Russian Federation is continuing to move this war way beyond Ukraine’s borders. They are doing it in the way that they normally do, through their lies. The Kremlin is talking about the ‘liberation’ of the people of Donbas, but at the same time, they are annihilating the largest city in Donbas – Mariupol. Russia says that they are defending Christian values at the same time as they burn down the skete of Sviatohirsk Lavra. They claim that they are trying to prevent a global food crisis at the same time as they steal grain in the occupied territories. What Ukraine is doing is counteracting it with belief and truth. We are talking about war crimes; we are talking about the genocide of the Ukrainian people; we are saying that Ukrainians are being killed now simply because they are Ukrainians and an army is killing them – an army that does not respect any laws or conventions. We all have to be aware of that. We are going to speak this truth, and we are going to speak about responsibility before history, before humankind and before the future. This responsibility should be brought to bear. I thank you and the many countries represented in the European Parliament for initiating the International Criminal Court investigation against the Russian Federation. We would like to have this just verdict. We would like those who are guilty in this criminal war to be punished and to rebuild what they have damaged at their cost. This is a fundamental principle of our unity, and this justice will undoubtedly be done, because it is what we want – we, the countries that stand in favour of the world order. However, we also have to understand that, today in Ukraine, more than 14 million people were forcibly displaced, of whom eight million became internally displaced and six million are outside Ukraine. I would like to use this opportunity to thank all the EU countries that opened not only the doors of their homes, but also their hearts, for all Ukrainians. I sincerely thank all your great peoples. I thank the entire 500 million people of the European Union who accepted Ukrainians and enabled their survival under these difficult conditions. Thank you. Dear colleagues, the important question is what is going to happen next? I am not going to conceal the fact that my mission now, travelling around many European countries and talking to European parliaments, including the European Parliament, is to convince each and every one of you that Ukraine is worthy of being granted candidate status for the European Union. We are clearly aware that this is just candidate status. We are clearly aware and guarantee that we – having received this impetus, this political message – are prepared to work further, quickly and qualitatively, as we did when we were filling in the survey for candidacy status for the European Union. However, this is a very important impetus for us, the Ukrainian people. It is very important for the Ukrainian people to hear this powerful message from Europe, the essence of which is that what you are doing is not in vain. We see that you are fighting and are, therefore, friends. If on 24 June, we do not get this message, then this will be the message that Putin will get, and he will clearly understand that he can go forward entirely without punishment. Therefore, I am asking you: let us do everything possible so that we see a watershed on 24 June – an important day for us and our great joint victory. We also ask you to exert additional pressure on the Russian Federation, first and foremost through sanctions. It is very difficult to stop a war that we are sponsoring. I would like to thank you for supporting all sanction packages. However, if the war is continuing, then perhaps more has to be done so that the war becomes unbearable and impossible for Putin, so that he stops because he does not have the funds to fund his war. I understand that sometimes it is becoming a huge burden on the budgets of your countries, but believe me that if we do not do this, the price of defeat will be much higher. We have to do everything possible to stop this war economically as well. Dear friends, I would like to address you as one parliamentarian to other parliamentarians. You are the representatives of a 500 million—strong, great European nation. You represent various parties; you represent Europe. I appeal to you with a request: Ukraine is ready and prepared to stand on God for our common values, common principles and common prospects, because Ukrainians today are fighting for them on the battlefield. I therefore implore you – let us do everything together so that we can add, in pen, to this new history that Ukraine is writing with its blood that Ukraine is a candidate for the European Union. Dear friends, I sincerely believe that the European Union will approve this historic decision in favour of this unity, this solidarity and the fact that we see our future similarly; we see our values similarly. Dear colleagues, our unity is the motivation for us. Our unity is the proof for them that we are united and that we will always be united. Dear colleagues, only unity today can be the guarantee of our common peace. I am truly grateful to you and to your peoples. I am truly grateful to all those who fight together with Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine and glory to the great and united Europe!