On Thursday, 26 May, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, delivered a remote address to the Parliament of Latvia. He expressed his gratitude for the assistance provided to Ukraine by Latvia and its people, who have chosen the side of justice and regard Ukraine’s fight for freedom as their own.    

Before the address by the President of Ukraine, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, noted that it has already been several months since the people of Ukraine and the country’s Armed Forces have been countering Russia’s aggression. “We are amazed by the courage and resilience of Ukrainians. Their will to win is worthy of admiration. Nothing less than a complete victory of Ukraine in this war can serve as the basis for sustainable peace,” stressed Mūrniece.

Reaffirming the support of the people and the Parliament of Latvia for Ukraine, the Speaker of the Saeima expressed her disappointment and confusion about the calls by some Western politicians and experts to appease the Russian dictator at Ukraine’s expense. “Only the people of Ukraine, and only Ukraine as a subject of international law can make decisions about its territories,” underlined Mūrniece.  

In his address, Zelenskyy emphasised that we must completely rebuild respect for fundamental values in our continent. We need to fight, hard and at all levels, for our principles, for the importance of every country and every nation, because all nations are important. There is no nation whose interests can be ignored, betrayed, or traded for something with the side that wants to make that nation dependent on it. When everyone truly abides by this principle, European unity will become fully functional and Russia will not stand a chance, neither in its war against Ukraine, nor in a war with any other European country, said the President of Ukraine.

The President expressed criticism against countries who are hesitating to provide military assistance for Ukraine and who are delaying granting the European Union candidate status to Ukraine. 

Zelenskyy thanked our country for the initiatives that will help hold Russian war criminals accountable, stating that the entire Europe must pool its potential so that the persons who organised and are carrying out genocide against the Ukrainian people would be held accountable in a competent court.

The President of Ukraine said that the decision to award him the highest award of the Republic of Latvia—the Order of Viesturs, First Class—is a symbol of the Ukrainian people’s fight for independence, the Latvian people’s fight for freedom in Europe, and the fight of all Europeans who truly respect our common values for a truly strong and united Europe. We need this unity to guarantee the security of Ukraine as well as any other country that might be threatened by Russia’s aggression, noted Zelenskyy.

In addition, the President of Ukraine highlighted the need for the strength and unity of Europe in order for Russia to pay the full price for this war, including with the help of sanctions and the confiscation of the country’s assets. Through these losses Russia will have to learn that the aggressor is the one to face the gravest problems caused by war, said Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for the military and humanitarian assistance provided by Latvia, underlining that Ukraine will never forget it.

Saeima Press Service