Ukraine Is Ready for Real Diplomacy; but for It, We Must Be Strong – Speech by the President at the Meeting of the European Council

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Thank you very much!

Charles, Mr. President!

Dear leaders!

Thank you very much for the invitation. Glad to welcome all of you and grateful for this special meeting.

This is a great opportunity to present and discuss the strategy to force Russia into real diplomacy.

First of all, I want to thank all of you - leaders and thank to your people, your countries - for your big support.

Your unity is also a weapon. And it's a weapon that means one thing for all of us - safety.

Together, we've saved thousands of Ukrainian lives and proven that war in Europe will not benefit the aggressor. Together, we must stop this war. And together, we must ensure the conditions for the kind of peace we need - Ukrainians, your nations, and all of Europe.

And let me remind all of you, this summer we held, I think, a successful Peace Summit. More than 100 countries and international organizations have supported it.

And it's a clear path to restoring a just peace based on the UN Charter.

We must hold a second Peace Summit that will put an end to the war.

And we are preparing Peace Formula Framework that includes all the aspects of peace restoration. There were already four meetings on Peace Formula Points, and today the fifth one is taking place. I'm grateful to France for hosting today's meeting. It's nuclear security.

And in November we will come up with a full-fledged document based on the Peace Formula, all the ten points, and we'll share it for all including Russians at the Peace Summit.

But how we all can make Russia ready for real diplomacy and force it to just peace? That is the real question. This is what the Victory Plan provides the answer for.

Our people in Ukraine are doing everything they can to defend our state and independence.

And I'm proud of our soldiers, who are holding the front under incredibly difficult, really difficult, tough conditions.

They need more strength because Putin is preparing his own reinforcements to continue the war, not end it, of course.

Putin wants to match your countries' ammunition production by next year.

And he is getting help from North Korea - with shells, equipment, and now even people.

And plus, Iran.

Unfortunately, we're receiving signals that China is still actively helping Russia drag out this war. And we have clear intelligence data.

We need to strengthen now.

The Victory Plan is designed for this moment. And I urge all of you to help make it happen.

If we start now and follow the Victory Plan, we can end this war no later than next year.

Dear friends!

I presented the Victory Plan to our parliament, our people. And I have their support. And I think it's so important to have unity in our country.

The goal of the Plan is that it strengthens not only Ukraine but also our entire community - the Euro-Atlantic community.

You all know Russia's psychology, and I think some of them know it very well. Russia will resort to diplomacy only when it sees that it cannot achieve anything by force - this is the Plan, this is exactly what's needed.

And we must create the right conditions to end this war.

First point of the Plan - Alliance.

Ukraine is a democratic nation that has proven it can defend the Euro-Atlantic region and our shared way of life.

And for decades, Russia has used the geopolitical uncertainty caused by Ukraine not being in NATO.

Now, the fact of an immediate invitation to Ukraine to join NATO would be decisive.

Of course, membership would follow later.

Putin just must see that his geopolitical calculations are worthless. And an invitation now with membership later will have no political cost - it's a strong decision that requires nothing but determination.

Moreover, yesterday in our parliament, I said that the invitation now symbolizes much more than just NATO.

And it's true. Determination on NATO for Ukraine also means the inevitability of European integration for Ukraine and the undeniable path of democracy in Ukraine.

Invitation will strengthen our diplomatic stance. And this will be one of the main arguments to stop the war.

Second point - defense.

We must continue to apply pressure on Russia on the battlefield.

It is realistic to maintain positions on the front within Ukrainian territory while also bringing the war back into Russia, so that Russians can feel what war is like and begin to hate Putin for it. This is the pressure too.

We have a clear list of weapons that can make this possible.

And with the Kursk Operation, we've shown that Putin does not have enough strength to hold on when we really apply pressure.

So, that's why we need to equip our brigades; lift all limitations; invest in Ukrainian defense industrial base and coproduce; and saturate Ukraine with air defense as soon as possible.

Third point - real pressure.

We propose placing on Ukrainian land a deterrence package that would either force Russia to participate in real peace negotiations or allow for the destruction of their military targets. It's the Peace Through Strength Approach - for this point.

And it's about the appropriate missile package.

And we have provided all the details to our partners who can make this happen. These are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, and of course, we want to share with all the leaders, who are ready to support in this case.

Putin should respect our strength, not have the free world tremble at his threats.

And we can use the deterrence package only if Russia does not stop the war.

Fourth. Ukraine has critical resources worth trillions of dollars, and Russia wants to take them.

This includes titanium, uranium, lithium, graphite, manganese, and much more that should not fall into Russia's hands, nor into the hands of its allies. Enemies of the free world must not gain any advantage in the global competition.

Ukraine proposes to key partners - the EU, the United States, and our mutual global partners - to make a special agreement on protecting Ukraine's critical resources, joint investment, and directing the relevant economic potential for our shared growth.

And this agreement must include sanctions strong enough so that Russia cannot outplay us.

And fifth. After this war, we will have hundreds of thousands of soldiers with modern combat experience. Equipped.

And we propose supporting your strength with ours by replacing some of American contingents with our soldiers, especially in Europe or where we agree to, allowing the US to do more in its priority regions, in the Indo-Pacific or anywhere. But for this, we need to win, of course.

Dear leaders!

We are ready to put the Victory Plan on your table and are counting on your support.

Ukraine is ready for real diplomacy. But for it, we must be strong.

Forcefully imposed truce instead of fair peace never provided security. Nobody is happy when the war is brought back.

And our unity, pressure on Russia, and strengthening Ukraine are the keys to ending this war in a way that prevents Russia from starting it again.

The Victory Plan is a bridge to a successful Second Peace Summit. You can help make this a reality.

And this will protect not only Ukraine but also the Baltic states, and Nordics, and Poland, and the Balkans - other, other regions, other partners which are in Russia's sights.

At the same time, please don't ease the pressure of sanctions on Russia - it truly helps.

And we appreciate the joint work with you on developing defense production. Thank you. Investment and joint manufacturing are really needed.

Ukraine is grateful for all forms of your support for our resilience. And this includes support for our energy sector ahead of winter, and for our people - especially the financial assistance that helps us meet the basic needs of Ukrainians. And your political decision on 35 billion euros for Ukraine as part of the G7's resolution on 50 billion dollars from Russian assets is extremely important and is needed as soon as possible. Russia must pay and be held accountable for the destruction it has caused.

Together, we can and must bring peace closer.

And thank you very much for the invitation again, Mr. President.

Thank you for your attention!

And today I want to thank, personally, Charles Michel for his leadership during all the years of Presidentship. And thanks for all the decisions you made, dear partners, dear friends. Thank you!

Glory to Ukraine!

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ph	17 October 2024 - 13:00