To speak to Europeans and address Donald Trump, President Zelensky insisted on one line: “peace is the reward only for those who know how to be strong”.
With some particularly strong statements:
“Since the European Political Community Summit held in Britain in July, there has been a lot of talk about the need to give in to Putin, to back down, to make concessions.” And some of you here have urged Ukraine to make ‘concessions’ to Putin.
“Making concessions to Putin is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all of Europe. What would we do next? Will Europe have to seek the good grace of Kim Jong Un in the hope that he too will leave Europe in peace? »
Prime Minister Orbán,
Mr President Michel,
Dear leaders,
I am grateful for this opportunity to meet you and to be able to work together for Europe and our nations.
Yesterday, like many of you, I spoke with President Trump.
It was a fruitful and productive conversation. Of course, we cannot yet know what measures he plans to take in a concrete way. We hope that America will become stronger, because that is exactly what we need. And a strong Europe is what America needs. It is this bond between allies that must be valued and that cannot be lost.
We have many challenges ahead of us. Since our last meeting in this format, the war led by Russia has entered a considerably more intense phase. And it is Russia alone which is at the origin of this escalation. Now, and in a very concrete way, North Korea is waging a war in Europe.
On European soil, North Korean soldiers are targeting and seeking to kill our people.
Since the Summit of the European Political Community held in Great Britain in July, there has been much talk about the need to give in to Putin, to back down, to make “concessions”. And some of you here have urged Ukraine to make “concessions” to Putin.
Making “concessions” to Putin is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all of Europe. What would we do next? Will Europe have to seek the good grace of Kim Jong Un in the hope that he too will leave Europe in peace? No great leader who contributed to the construction of a united, strong and peaceful Europe could have resolved to this. On the contrary, the idea that we must achieve “peace through force” has proven its realism and effectiveness more than once.
Today, this approach is necessary again.
To do this, we must escape from an illusion: it is not by showing weakness or by negotiating downwards the European position, or that of a European country, that we can buy peace. It just doesn’t work like that. Peace is a reward only for the strongest. There is no alternative to a strong Europe. And unity is essential to strength.
Russia started this war not because it needed more territory — it has more land than any other country in the world.
What Russia wants is more power on the world stage. Starting with controlling Ukraine, then all of you, one after the other, as in the days of the Soviet or Tsar regime.
Budapest remembers Soviet tanks. Ukrainian cities will not forget Russian bombs.
Like Budapest, all cities of Ukraine and all our countries deserve security and peace.
So let me first of all thank each of you for your support of Ukraine and its people. We are not defending ourselves against Russian words, but against armed attacks. This is why we need your support in arms and not in words. Accolades with Putin will do no good. Some of you have been trying to caress for twenty years — nothing has improved. Putin is at war, he won’t change. Only the balance of power can set a limit.
Second, we have established a clear diplomatic system capable of pushing Russia towards a just peace. Most of the nations present here participated in this effective diplomatic effort. Thematic conferences have already covered all the points of our Peace Formula: nuclear security, food security, energy, the return of prisoners and deportees to Ukraine, the full application of international law, and many more. other things too. We must push Russia to take this path. A just peace will be a shared victory. The Victory Plan is already on your table. Ukraine was the first to propose changing our common strategy to quickly achieve a just peace.
I want to emphasize this: this war is taking place on Ukrainian soil. Ukraine is grateful for all the support provided by its allies and is open to any constructive ideas aimed at establishing a just peace for our country. But it is up to Ukraine to decide what should, or should not, be on the agenda to end this war.
The bill for this war should be paid by the Russians, not the Ukrainians. Only in this way will Russia understand that it can no longer assert its false pretensions to everyone, from the Baltics to the Balkans. Any country, any leader who respects international law and sits at this table should understand that a predator does not set limits on his own.
Third, during this war we saw the failure of certain European approaches. For example, the closer a country is geographically to Russia, the weaker the concept of neutrality becomes. The rapid accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO showed how European and Alliance leaders really imagine a structure guaranteeing the security of these countries. Not with words, but with NATO. Ukraine has taken note of this.
Fourth, Russian assets. I want to thank all leaders who defend Ukraine’s right to use funds from Russian assets to protect against Russian aggression. The Russian state does not value people or morality — it only values money. This is why the fact that Russian assets contribute to Ukraine’s effort is also a lesson for them. In complete impartiality, I also tell you that these are Ukrainian sums. It was in Ukraine that Russian forces destroyed hundreds of towns and villages. Millions of our fellow citizens have lost their homes. This requires funds. Now, instead of looking for reasons to delay decisions, it is necessary to find a mechanism to direct funds to Ukraine so that they can be used as quickly as possible.
Fifth, Putin’s war funds. We all know that Russia still makes enough money from oil sales to continue its war. Russia still evades sanctions and purchases drone and missile components around the world. Russia still has the capacity to spread instability and interfere in the lives of nations in places like the Sahel, North Africa, the Middle East and countries like Yemen. How can Putin be able to do all this?
We need some leverage on him.
All of Europe needs it.
Together, we can not only end Russia’s war against Ukraine, but also address other challenges. We can do it, Europe can do it—no leader can do it alone.
I ask you, show solidarity in defending the common interests of our nations.
Let us work together with our allies to defend our common interests.
Thank you for your attention! Thank you for your support.
Glory to Ukraine!
