First of all, congratulations on this 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence Day. It’s a very important moment in your history, in our common history. And in fact, this war is about your independence, your sovereignty, your territorial integrity. That means the respect of international law.
And we can count on the European Union. I’m very honoured to receive the Order of Europe, that I accepted on behalf of the European Council, on behalf of all my fellow colleagues who have been supporting Ukraine since day one. I remember very well in 2022, when during the morning Charles Michel called all of us, and from the 27 member states, everybody came to Brussels, and in the evening, we had our first meeting to approve the EU’s unconditional and unwavering support to Ukraine.
Since then, we have never failed in our support for Ukraine. Sometimes we take some time to take a decision, but we never fail. And we know, of course, that when we solve a problem, a new problem comes. But what we know is that when a new problem comes, a new solution also comes. Then, we will continue to work together.
The most important thing is to win this war, because international law must prevail. And, for Ukraine to achieve the accession to the European Union, because it’s the best way to ensure Europe’s security, to ensure Ukraine’s security, and the best response for those who are concerned about rule of law, corruption, democracy. The best way to have strong democratic institutions, strong and independent institutions to preserve the rule of law is within the European Union. For those who are concerned about security, the best security guarantee is to be a member of the EU. And most importantly, the EU is a project of peace and shared prosperity. We are waiting for you and congratulations also for what you are doing to fulfil all the criteria to the European Union accession. Then, we will continue together.