Plenarrede zur Sicherheit in Europa und die militärische Bedrohung der Ukraine durch Russland

„War is so unjust and ugly that all who wage it must try to stifle the voice of conscience within themselves.“- These words belong to one of the world’s greatest pacifists – Leo Tolstoy who, ironically, also happens to be the author that president Putin claims to have influenced him the most.

It could be that Russian president did stifle the voice of his conscience for (because) he has brought this continent on a brink of another war, possibly the largest since World War two. Why else would he summon 135 000 soldiers on the Ukrainian border, many of them from the very Far East?

Ukraine is a great country of great people. Today, it is stronger than ever and will only be stronger tomorrow. This is the reasons of the Kremlin’s warmongering as Putin knows very well – if he does not take over Ukraine now, he will not be able to do it ever in future.

What Russian president sees as an opportunity window, can in fact be a lethal trap for his country. Ukraine will be for Russia what Afghanistan was for the Soviet Union: an imperial overstretch, a straw that broke the camel’s back, a painful end of Putin’s empire. Because Ukraine is strong and can stand up for itself.

War is not only unjust and ugly but also senseless as it has no winners, it brings only destruction and suffering to common people on both sides. If Putin starts the war, common Russians will have to suffer the consequences: Russian mothers crying their sons sacrificed as pawns, Russian pensioners feeling the chilling effect of the western sanctions, Russian economy collapsing from the western response.

Meanwhile, the saber-rattling does not intimidate Ukrainians, it only brings them closer. Ukrainians are strong today because they fight for their land, because they do not stand alone, because they have reliable friends, and most importantly – because they have truth on their side.