The president of the EU Commission at the inauguration of the academic year in Palermo: “Putin denies Ukraine the right to exist”
“The day we meet has special value for Europe. Tomorrow will be a year since Russia began its brutal invasion of Ukraine. Putin denies Ukraine the right to exist. By attacking it a year ago, it also attacked the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. And it attacked the principles of democracy”. Thus the president of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the inauguration of the academic year in Palermo, underlining that the Union is determined to remain at Kiev’s side “for as long as necessary”.
“Seen from Sicily – he says addressing the students – it might seem like a distant conflict. But it is not. Young Ukrainians share the same desires with you, which are those of all young Europeans. They want to be independent and masters of their own future. They want live freely in a democratic country”.
Young Ukrainians, continues von der Leyen, “want freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of movement. This is why in 2014 they took to the streets wrapped in European flags. In response, Vladimir Putin invaded for the first time their country. And he did it again eight years later, on February 24, 2022. Putin denies Ukraine’s right to exist. In attacking it a year ago, he also attacked the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. And he attacked the principles of democracy The autocrats fear precisely what makes our liberal democracies attractive: our economic success, our civil liberties, and freedom of speech and opinion.That is why the brave Ukrainian people are not only defending their country, they are also fighting for our values. That’s why we will stay by Ukraine’s side for as long as necessary. Freedom for Ukraine”, he concludes, pronouncing the last sentence in Italian.
Source-www.adnkronos.com