EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has reminded politicians who blame Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “not on Putin’s lust for power but on Ukraine’s thirst for freedom.”
“Peace can never mean surrender and sovereignty can never mean occupation, “Mrs. von der Leyen said on Friday in a rebuke to those pressuring Ukraine into agreeing to a settlement with Russia, likely to mean Ukraine ceding parts of its territory.
The European Commission president warned that “peace cannot be taken for granted,” and urged European leaders and lawmakers to reject untruthful narratives that cause confusion and seek to shift responsibilities for the 2022 invasion.
“Today, some politicians inside our Union, and even in this part of Europe, are muddying the waters of our conversation about Ukraine. They blame the war not on the invader but on the invaded; not on Putin’s lust for power but on Ukraine’s thirst for freedom,” she said speaking at the GLOBSEC Forum in Prague.
“So I want to ask them: Would you ever blame Hungarians for the Soviet invasion of 1956? Would you ever blame Czechs for the Soviet repression in 1968? And the answer to this question is very clear: The Kremlin’s behavior was illegal and atrocious back then. And the Kremlin’s behavior is illegal and atrocious today.”
One of the prime targets of von der Leyen’s rebuke, though not mentioned by name was Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who last month triggered an outcry when, unannounced, he flew to Moscow and met face to face with Putin to discuss possible ways to end the war.
The Russian leader welcomed Orbán as a European Union representative, even though Orban didn’t have the authority to speak on behalf of the 27-member bloc.
The visit prompted a boycott against Hungary’s six-month presidency of the Council of the EU, which began on 1 July. Mrs. von der Leyen slammed the so-called “peace mission” in her re-election speech in the European Parliament to applause from lawmakers.
On Friday, she continued the theme, saying those who oppose military supplies to Kyiv are not making the case for peace but rather for “appeasement and subjugation.”
Orbán has evoked his veto power to repeatedly derail the bloc’s efforts to provide further military assistance to Ukraine. Brussels currently has €6.5 billion blocked by Hungary’s opposition.
“We Europeans may have different histories. We may speak different languages but in no language, peace is synonymous with surrender. In no language, sovereignty is synonymous with occupation,” Mrs. von der Leyen told her audience in Prague.
“My position is that peace is not simply the absence of war. Peace is a settlement that makes war impossible and unnecessary,” she said, adding that Ukraine’s integration into the EU should be at “the heart of our peace effort.”
Orbán has also questioned Ukraine’s EU aspirations saying the bloc can’t afford it.
“The second half of the decade will be high-risk. The war against Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East have put geopolitics in flux. Tensions are also running high in the Far East,” she said. “We Europeans must be on guard.”
Her guidelines for a second term make defense a top priority in the next five years, including a string of proposals to increase public and private investment into the arms industry, organize joint purchases of military equipment, boost cyber-defense capabilities and strengthen sanctions against hybrid attacks.
She also intends to appoint a Commissioner for Defense, although the new office will have limits as EU treaties place defense in the hands of individual member states.
Speaking of the upcoming U.S. presidential election, she concluded: “I cannot overemphasize the importance of the US support for Ukraine since the start of this war. Once again, America has stood up for the freedom of all Europeans.”
“But…protecting Europe is first and foremost Europe’s duty.”
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