27 лютого 2023 Посол України в Румунії Ігор Прокопчук виступив на спільному засіданні Сенату та Палати депутатів Парламенту Румунії щодо підтримки України та вшанування Хвилиною мовчання пам’яті загиблих внаслідок повномасштабної війни рф проти України.  

Представляємо вашій увазі повний текст виступу Посла України в Румунії мовою оригіналу. 

Dear Madam President of the Senate!

Dear Mr. President of the Chamber of Deputies!

Distinguished senators and deputies of Romania’s Parliament!

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends!

At the outset let me sincerely thank for convening this meeting which pays tribute to one year’s heroic and courageous defence by the Ukrainian nation of its freedom, political independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; which remembers the victims of the unprovoked and brutal war of aggression unleashed by Russia against Ukraine; which strengthens the solidarity and bonds of friendship between Ukraine and Romania. It is an honour and privilege for me to address you.

I avail myself of this occasion to express profound gratitude to you and all the Romanian people for fast and comprehensive response to the needs of Ukrainians and all assistance during the past year. The year of resilience, unity and resolve, both of Ukraine and the free democratic world.

russia’s war against Ukraine has taken thousands of innocent lives and displaced millions of people. I note with gratitude that over 100,000 Ukrainian nationals have stayed in Romania enjoying safety, comfort and generosity of reception. We highly appreciate Romanian support to Ukrainians at the level of people, civil society, private sector, Parliament and the Government.

Romania was at the frontline of humanitarian response from the first hours of the big war and has shown consistency of support in numerous areas that help Ukraine not only stop, but prevail the aggressor.

The year of russia’s war against Ukraine was marked by horrible atrocities perpetrated by the invasion force – exploiting terrorist tactics of attacks on civilians, mass execution, torture and kidnappings, rapes, forcible deportation of thousands of Ukrainians to russia, including separation and deportation of children, massive destruction of civilian infrastructure. Currently the law enforcement authorities of Ukraine together with partners, including Romania, investigate tens of thousands of war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes related to genocide. Although suffering

failures on the battlefield kremlin still retains its original maximalist goals of invasion aiming to destroy Ukrainian statehood.

Ukraine wants peace – not the one born in kremlin’s neo-imperial dreams of subjugating Ukraine and other nations, establishing spheres of influence but a just and lasting peace underpinned in its foundation by the basic principles of the United Nations Charter. Last week the UN General Assembly adopted its resolution on the principles of comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine. It was supported by the overwhelming majority of UN member states – 141 whereas russia was again isolated with its few proxies.

The adopted Resolution reflects the logic of President Zelenskyy's Peace Formula. This peace plan contains ten-points with the ultimate goal - to drive russia out of Ukraine and make the world a safer place.

Distinguished senators and deputies,

Ukraine will staunchly resist the aggression as it has done so far. We are confident that Ukraine will win. Putin has already encountered a strategic failure in fulfilment of his plans. The russian regime thought that Ukraine was weak. It was proved wrong. The russian regime thought that Europe was weak and was also proved wrong. It greatly miscalculated on the strength of Tran-Atlantic ties and steadfast commitment of the United States of America to defending freedom, democracy and security in Europe.

Now they think in kremlin that the world will get tired of supporting Ukraine. We have confidence that again, together, we will prove them wrong.

Solidarity with Ukraine is not only a matter of moral choice, of being on the right side of history, but a matter of self-interest for all countries that place trust in the norms and principles of international law, in the rules-based security order. It is clear to all that the stakes are higher than Ukraine and directly effect other countries and Europe as a whole. To protect the freedom of Ukraine, to protect the freedom of Ukrainians is to guarantee the security of Europe.

Ukraine is not the last target of russian military aggression. There were targets before and there will be other if we do not put an end to russia’s aggression.

The successful defence by Ukrainians of their own state is a fundamental prerequisite for the security and independence of Moldova as well as for peace in the whole large region.

We are grateful for firm reassurances from Romania’s leadership that this country will provide assistance to Ukraine for as long as it is necessary. We are dealing with a full-scale and complex war of the 21st century and our responses must also be timely, complex and effective.

We must win this war and make Russia retreat to its own borders. The speed of ending the war primarily depends on swift and adequate military and defence assistance to Ukraine from its partners. It must not be slowed down, as it will only prolong the war, sufferings and destruction.

It is necessary to further strengthen the sanctions regime against Russia to deprive it of revenues for financing and of technologies for equipping its war machine. It is necessary to further isolate russia in international organisations as a terrorist regime which flagrantly breaches basic norms of international law and defies basic norms of morality. Russia’s seat on the UN Security Council has no legitimate grounds, it must be stripped of it and excluded from the United Nations as a whole. It is necessary to establish a Special Tribunal with specific jurisdiction over the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine as well as to fully utilize all other legal instruments to bring the perpetrators of the crimes in Ukraine to justice.

We know very well that this war is not only taking place on the battlefield, but also in the information sphere. russia's information warfare, malign influence operations are as dangerous as conventional warfare. russia aims to drive wedges in relations between countries, to divide societies from within. It is necessary to be vigilant and not let them succeed.

We need to continue to develop a comprehensive strategy of rebuilding Ukraine from all of the war devastations while, at this moment, to focus on immediate reconstruction priorities included in the fast Recovery Plan of Ukraine.

Last year, an extremely difficult one, has injected new dynamics in the relations between Ukraine and Romania making them stronger and more diversified, including in terms of connectivity. In January this year President Zelenskyy and President Iohannis reviewed our priority agenda and gave respective instructions that foster our co-operation. The two Prime Ministers met in November last year. There is constant contact between Foreign Ministers of the two countries as well as other ministers, in particular of energy. Despite the ongoing war, Ukraine is open to dialogue on all issues of bilateral agenda. In particular, we maintain constructive dialogue on issues of rights of persons belonging to national minorities – Ukrainian minority in Romania and Romanian minority in Ukraine.

There is a significant role to be played in bilateral relations and mutual understanding by interparliamentary co-operation. We welcome mutual visits that took place last year and look forward to intensification of productive exchanges.

In closing, I again thank for the support. The war rages on, we must focus on continued strengthened assistance to Ukraine to win it. I call for our strong unity and co-operation, bilaterally and multilaterally, with the aim of defeating the Russian

aggressor and restoring lasting peace in Ukraine and on the European continent. I wish all members of Romania’s Parliament success in your activities.

Glory to Romania!

Glory to Ukraine!

Відео: Спільне засідання Сенату та Палати депутатів Парламенту Румунії від 27 лютого 2023 року.