Speeches

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we are going to win, we just need to know when and at what price. I heard this phrase from Igor Zhovkva, Zelensky’s diplomatic adviser, on 9 June 2022, almost two years ago, when I was in Kiev after Russia’s abrupt invasion of Ukraine. And I never imagined that, almost two years later, we would continue to witness the agony of the Ukrainian people. A people that has resisted in an absolutely tragic way the barbaric onslaughts of an autocratic and oppressive regime. A few days ago, a colleague of ours reminded us here in this gallery of what is so obvious, so obvious and which no one understands is not yet happening. Why doesn't Europe, which has 100 Patriot missiles, dispense seven to Ukraine? What are we waiting for? Why don't we use frozen Russian assets to fund weapons for Ukrainians to defend themselves? My friends, colleagues, the faster we help Ukraine, the faster Ukraine will win. The faster we help Ukraine, the more lives we will save. Time is running out for Russia and against the Ukrainians. Time is delaying freedom and democracy. Time, my friends, is not for speeches. Time is for action and time is for us to help Ukraine win the war. And by the way, by the way.

Madam President, dear High Representative Borrell, we must be clear, without fear of words: Europe is not on the side of terrorists. Europe is on the side of peace. Hamas is a terrorist group. Hamas leaders have abandoned their citizens, living like princes in luxury environments, watching all this destruction on television. Hamas is not really concerned about the Palestinians. Hamas is only concerned about its survival. Europe has a moral and historical duty to pressure Hamas to release its hostages. There are three types of hostages: the Palestinian hostages, who are their own people, the Israeli hostages, who have been kidnapped since October 7, and the international community and humanitarian aid, who are the collateral victims of this terrorist dictatorship. Ladies and gentlemen, Europe is an agent of peace and that is why Europe must be at the forefront of defending democracy. If Europe had to choose only one, it would have only one flag of two colours: peace and human dignity. But there is no freedom without security. And we can't get distracted. The great challenge of our time, the great challenge of democracies, is, and will be, to defend peace, to guarantee democracy, while ensuring the security of citizens, and never forgetting, without giving a truce to terrorism.