European Parliament President Roberta Metsola visits Ukraine on 9 May 2024, on the occasion of Europe Day. The aim of her visit is to show the European Parliament’s continued support and commitment to Ukraine and its European path. Roberta METSOLA, EP President, addresses the Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada).

Ukraine

EU - Ukraine (T)

Kyiv

statement

speech

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

president's agenda

solidarity with Ukraine (T)

STEFANTCHOUK, Rouslan

Address by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to the Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada)

'SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President - Mr. speaker, dear Ruslan, dear members of the Verkhovna Rada. Dear friends, dear Europeans. The European Union is a political project that is forged in crises. It is a project of hope, of liberty, of democracy. It is these values that Ukraine is defending on the battlefield. It is a project that Ukraine should form, part of a project that will be made stronger with Ukraine within it. And that aim is one that the European Parliament will continue to support.

'SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President - Ladies and gentlemen, when I first addressed this great Parliament of Heroes, I underlined that you claim Ukraine's future is within the European Union. And I reiterate that now we are with you, then we are with you now, and we will be with you for as long as it takes. That that is the best answer the world can give to the continued Russian aggression. Ukraine has made its European choice and Europe has made its Ukrainian choice. That is the true victory. We will celebrate together every 9th of May today.

'SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President - On this day we celebrate Europe and there is no more, better or significant place to do that than here, where the spirit of Europe is present in your cities, in your villages, and etched in the bravery of your people, the defiance of Ukraine, your courage, your strength epitomises what it means to be European. And I'm so grateful to be with you in Kiev again. It has been 806 days since Russia launched its illegal, unjustified and brutal war against your country. The scenes we have seen of the destruction of all the innocent lives lost have been difficult to bear. But it has also been 806 days of Europe and the world. Witnessing your courage, resilience and determination in pushing back against the aggressor. As they say, it is often in our darkest moments that our true strength shines brightest.

'SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President - Dear friends, when Europe and the world thinks of Ukraine, they think of heroes fighting against the odds of David and Goliath. My job is to help you rebalance those odds. And Europe will continue to play its part here. The first time I came to Kiev was on the 1st of April, 2022, the day you liberated the city of butcher. I will never forget the image. The horror we uncovered together. But I will also never forget all the ordinary citizens turned heroes risking their lives to help those in need to rebuild what has been destroyed, and to stand up for the values that make us all European. That is why the last time I was here in this chamber, I made three promises to you. Promises that I am proud to say the European Parliament has delivered on in the past two years. We stood resolute and firm against Putin's intimidation tactics and cut our dependencies from Russia. We have adopted 13 packages of hard hitting sanctions against Putin and his allies, and we have been working on the 14th package, which means that hundreds of billions of euros wort...

'SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President - I promised that Europe would open up its borders, its homes and its hearts to your families, your children, your loved ones who were forced to flee. Today, Ukrainian people are building lives and livelihoods with access to jobs, housing, healthcare, social supports and education in the European Union, with many returning here. We said we would help you to rebuild your cities, your towns, your villages. The adoption of the €50 billion Ukraine facility is our most recent tangible support for that. I also told you that you can count on me on the European Parliament to recognise Ukraine's European aspirations and to support you as you make headway into your country's integration in the European Union. And here, let me say we are very proud of this. That it was the European Parliament that was the first EU institution to push for Ukraine to receive candidate status and for accession negotiations to start last year.

'SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President - We understood immediately that this is just as much about stability for Ukraine as it is about strengthening the entire European Union. It makes sense politically, economically, socially, geographically and strategically. And that is why the European Parliament will never tire of repeating that Ukraine's place is in the European Union at its own pace, following its own path, but with a very, very clear destination. Mr. speaker, dear Ruslan. The last time we met, we signed a renewed memorandum of understanding confirming the strong and unique. I'm so proud of this unique ties between our two houses. In that way, the European Parliament has continued to provide tangible support to you, the Verkhovna Rada, including through a permanent European Parliament representation in Kiev, which we will open soon. Nine days ago, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the largest single EU enlargement in the history of the European Union.

'SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President - Being a woman from one of those ten countries who so clearly remembers the painstaking reforms and the lengthy process of integration, I can tell you it will not be easy. But I am confident that with the commitment that you have and the record pace that you are making, I know that we will celebrate the same milestone anniversary of full EU membership for Ukraine together.

'SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President - Dear friends, it is true that EU institutions and member States have already provided a lot of political, financial, military and humanitarian assistance. But it is also true that much more needs to be done in this critical phase of war. International support with Ukraine must continue and it must increase. Russia is not showing any signs of slowing down and neither can we. Russia. Will continue to do. What is it has been doing? And Europe must be ready to match the Kremlin's level of threats. And we will. We will. The Kremlin wants a different future than that Ukraine wants. In Europe. They see a world where history can be rewritten, where spheres of influence exist again, where iron curtains are drawn, closed. Where might is right and where personal liberty and dignity denied. With their actions, it is clear that Russia wants a return to a past we had consigned to history books, a past where Europe's geographical integrity and Europe's freedom to choose with whom to cooperate and how to integrate is called into question. For Russia, the real enemy is democracy, freedom and truth. And this is a past that we can never, ever return to, ever. And yet. And yet it is what is at stake. That is why we need to deepen our resolve to bringing every single Ukrainian child back to their families, back to their homes. Why we need to do more to cripple Putins war machine by closing any remaining loopholes in our sanctions regime, and why we need to intensify the delivery of the equipment and the defence systems that you need. Because valour alone is not enough, an...

'SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President - Now, to be clear, Europe will always stand for peace. Always a real peace with dignity, with integrity, with liberty, with territorial sovereignty. And we know there can never be anything about Ukraine without Ukraine. I mentioned the return of Ukrainian children earlier. With that, we also need an urgent focus on food security and safety of nuclear plants. These are the building blocks of humanity. But we also need to be clear about what kind of peace we are talking about. As Chancellor Schulz once put it, peace without freedom is called oppression. Peace without justice is called dictatorship. This is Europe's call to stand for real peace on this continent. And we we must answer it.

'SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President - Dear friends, in a month's time, the renewal of the institution that I have the responsibility of presiding over will be well underway as he last of the 400 million citizens in the European Union will be heading to the polls to elect a new European Parliament. Over the past months, I have visited many member states alongside my colleagues to speak to people, especially young people, to convince them not to take democracy for granted and to urge them to go out and vote. It is not an easy task, and it is one that is made much harder in many member states to push forward disinformation, misinformation and propaganda coming from actors that are overtly or covertly hostile to the European project, who would specifically target different sectors in society and our communities and sell false narratives about Europe in a manner that we have never seen in European elections before.

'SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President - It is a phenomenon that I know your country and your institution knows well, and one that I am sure our Parliament and those across the European Union have a lot to learn from you to counter it. Now, all this has made our job getting the European message across even more essential. But I now want to counter what I just said with the real life accounts. What I can tell you is that in every city, every town, every village that I have gone to. People young and old have all asked me about Europe's response to Ukraine. And in the last survey that was conducted by the European Parliament. Citizens continue to signal their very strong support. And that is why I remain convinced that European Union citizens will return a strong parliament next month that will continue to stand resolutely by your side. As your anthem goes, the glory and freedom of Ukraine has not yet perished. Long live democracy! Long live freedom! Long live Europe! Slava Ukraini!