Madam Speaker of the Saeima!
Honourable Members of the Parliament!
Excellencies, distinguished guests!
Today, we commemorate the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, we know that the war began much, much earlier.
We regard 2014 as the beginning of the war. In a few days’ time – on 26 February – Ukraine will observe the Day of Resistance. This is the day when the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol began.
Russia has invaded Ukraine. It has torn the country apart, devastated people’s lives and, for a time, stolen part of its territory. But that does not mean that these territories belong to Russia. Even though they are in Russia’s thieving grasp, they are part of Ukraine. This is, has been and will remain the position of our country – Latvia.
Active peace negotiations are currently under way. However, the aggressor has no interest in peace. The attacker seeks to use negotiations to achieve objectives it has failed to secure on the battlefield.
Peace must be one that Ukraine itself accepts. It must be lasting and credible. It is important not only to formulate security guarantees, nor merely to agree upon them. What is important – even more important – is to ensure their genuine implementation. We know that peace is possible only if Ukraine is guaranteed real security, not just on paper.
The Ukrainian children transferred and deported by Russia, prisoners of war and unlawfully detained persons must be released immediately. Latvia stands ready, together with Ukraine and our other friends and partners, to support the safe return of Ukraine’s people, especially the deported children, to their homeland.
This brutal war has compelled not only Latvia, but the whole of Europe and the world, to ask itself: how prepared would we be for such attacks? Would we be able to protect our families? Could our infrastructure ensure heat, water and electricity? What would we lack? It is right that these questions are being discussed openly. Many of them are being answered. Unfortunately, not always precisely, not always comprehensively.
There are also many questions that remain unanswered, or for which the answers sound merely formal. People still do not know how they should act in the event of a military attack. They are not ready to go to the nearest shelter – and the shelters themselves are not yet prepared. We are fully aware that in war it is not glossy brochures that protect people, but knowledge and confidence. We must continue – again and again – to remind people about the seventy-two-hour emergency bag and the importance of building up supplies. But we must also explain what to do with that bag and where to go. Because, truth be told, such a bag may prove useful not only in wartime, but also in other crisis situations. We must be ready to act calmly, wisely and decisively. And we must learn from Ukraine.
We often argue, we often pull the blanket in our own direction, each of us convinced that our course is the right and necessary one. Yet we must have one common, clear objective. And that objective is the security of Latvia. On this, the whole of Latvian society can agree, on this, the governing coalition and the opposition can agree, on this, both the parties represented in the Saeima and those outside it can agree. Security is and will remain more important than short-term aims and ambitions. In seven months, the people of Latvia will elect a new Saeima. I am confident that we will preserve our fundamental goal – a secure, democratic and law-based Latvia. A Latvia that stands for freedom. A Latvia that supports Ukraine.
Ladies and gentlemen!
Let us be honest. Right now, Ukraine is protecting us too. It is the first line of our defence. Our second and principal line of defence is ourselves: our allies in the Baltic Sea region, in the European Union and in NATO. We have been given time to prepare for war. To prepare so that there will be no war. So that the aggressor will not attack. So that they will not even dare. But we must not waste this time.
Not everywhere in the world and in Europe do people fully recognise the threat posed by Russia. That is precisely why we must be clear and outspoken. Our strategy remains unchanged: firm and unwavering support for Ukraine and continued pressure on Russia.
Support for Ukraine is a two-way street. The stronger Ukraine is, the safer Europe is. The stronger Ukraine is, the safer Latvia is. The same applies to the question of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. Such a step would become part of the European Union’s security guarantees for Ukraine. It would make, and I am convinced it will make, the European Union a serious military force, and it would be an investment in strengthening the security of the whole of Europe, including Latvia.
We stand together with other countries that understand Russia well, its dark recklessness and its heartlessness. With countries that have themselves experienced Russia’s brutality. With those countries that will do everything to ensure that nothing like what Ukraine is enduring is ever happen in their own homes.
Unfortunately, we are also witnessing the opposite trend – attempts to normalise and accept aggression, whether in sport, politics or business. Words and political statements alone are not enough here. What is also required is sustained and unrelenting public pressure and action. I urge all of us not to tire and to keep working. To continue working until Ukraine regains its territories, until Ukraine is free and independent.
Honourable Members of the Saeima!
War compels us to value peace. War compels us to value the opportunity to work, to build and to create without fear that everything may be destroyed tomorrow. This opportunity is not self-evident. Therefore, I urge you to make use of this time of peace. To create and to protect, not to wait for easier times. To create and to protect, because today we have such an opportunity. Right here, right now.
Glory to Ukraine!
Long live Latvia!
