Von der Leyen: Europe is more powerful than Russia’s military parade
Strasbourg, France, May 9 (EFE).- The European Union and the ideals it represents are more powerful than Russia’s military ambitions, Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.
“This is the image I want us to celebrate on the 9th of May. An image far more powerful than any military parade going up and down the streets of Moscow as we speak,” the president of the European Commission said in a speech at the closing event of the Future of Europe Conference in Strasbourg.
“An image that reminds us to never take for granted what Europe is and what it means. Europe is a dream. A dream that always was. A dream born from tragedy,” she added.
Von der Leyen said that dream was a driving force for millions of Ukrainians resisting the Russian invasion of their country.
“Today, that dream shines brightest (…) in the hearts and the minds of people in Kyiv and Kharkiv, Odesa and Poltava, Mariupol and Mykolaiv.
“And it shines brightest in the eyes of all those young Ukrainians who have found a refuge in Europe – a home away from home. Those people – young and old – are willing to fight and to die for their future and for that dream of Europe,” she said.
Von der Leyen said the European Commission was aiming to deliver its answer to Ukraine’s application to join the EU by June this year.
“Russia’s flagrant attempts to redraw maps and to rewrite even the most tragic parts of our history have reminded us of the dangers of loosening our grip on both our past and our future,” she said.EFE
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