Never before has this Parliament debated the State of our Union with war raging on European soil.
We all remember that fateful morning in late February.
Europeans from across our Union woke up dismayed by what they saw. Shaken by the resurgent and ruthless face of evil. Haunted by the sounds of sirens and the sheer brutality of war.
But from that very moment, a whole continent has risen in solidarity.
At the border crossings where refugees found shelter. In our streets, filled with Ukrainian flags. In the classrooms, where Ukrainian children made new friends.
From that very moment, Europeans neither hid nor hesitated.
They found the courage to do the right thing.
And from that very moment, our Union as a whole has risen to the occasion.
Fifteen years ago, it took us years to find lasting solutions during the financial crisis.
A decade later, when the global pandemic hit, it took us only weeks.
But this year, as soon as Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine, our response was united, determined and immediate.
And we should be proud of that.
We have brought Europe's inner strength back to the surface.
And we will need all of this strength. The months ahead of us will not be easy. Be it for families who are struggling to make ends meet, or businesses, who are facing tough choices about their future.
Let us be very clear: much is at stake here. Not just for Ukraine – but for all of Europe and the world at large.
And we will be tested. Tested by those who want to exploit any kind of divisions between us.
This is not only a war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine.
This is a war on our energy, a war on our economy, a war on our values and a war on our future.
This is about autocracy against democracy.
And I stand here with the conviction that with courage and solidarity, Putin will fail and Europe will prevail.
THE COURAGE TO STAND WITH OUR HEROES
Honourable Members,
Today - courage has a name, and that name is Ukraine.
Courage has a face, the face of Ukrainian men and women who are standing up to Russian aggression.
I remember a moment in the early weeks of the invasion. The invader killed the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, gathered the parents of Ukrainian children.
Hundreds of families for whom the war will never end, and for whom life will never go back to what it was before.
We saw the first Lady leading a silent crowd of heartbroken mothers and fathers, and hang small bells in the trees, one for every fallen child.
And now the bells will ring forever in the wind, and the innocent victims of this war will live in our memory forever.
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