Russia's assets should be used to protect against Russian aggression and rebuild what was destroyed by Russian attacks - the President's address to the participants of the European Council meeting

And in fact, in all important issues where Europe defended itself, its way of life and Ukraine, Europe proved to be right and achieved real results. Russia lost literally everything that it tried to use to intimidate or break us, break Europe. And Europe has demilitarized Russian gas weapons - the continent no longer allows Moscow to manipulate it with the help of energy carriers. And this is a historic achievement, in my opinion, something that just a few years ago seemed almost impossible.

Russia hoped that Europe's defense support for Ukraine and the growth of the European defense industry would collapse, but this did not happen either. Russia rejoiced and hoped for the political collapse of Europe when the American administration changed, but Russia failed again. The leadership of the European Union and the leaders of many countries did everything necessary to protect the interests of Europe.

And Europe has learned to neutralize the toxic political forces that Moscow has been funding for years to divide and weaken the EU. And yes, Russian hate propaganda still exists, especially on social media. But it did not break the most important network that holds Europe together - the network of solidarity. Solidarity that lives not only in official institutions or among leaders, but also in human hearts. The vast majority of Europeans still believe that only Russia is to blame for this war.

And, of course, some people in Europe are still happy to fly to Moscow. But, let's be honest, most Europeans understand: betraying moral values ​​and European interests in favor of Moscow will never become the main European trend. It will always be the work of outsiders, not true leaders.

Dear friends! If we have all achieved so much, how can the European Union break down now? And how can Russia become the winner? The decision now on your desk – the decision to fully use Russian assets to defend against Russian aggression – is one of the clearest and most morally sound decisions that can be made. This decision is a reflection of everything we have said, thought and, most importantly, felt about this war over the years. Not only us, but also hundreds of millions of Europeans.

And no one will ever be able to explain to them or to the people living in Ukrainian cities and our Ukrainian villages, destroyed by Russian bombs and offensives, why using Russian money to rebuild these homes is something wrong. No one will ever be able to explain to a Ukrainian child whose parents died in this war that it is not the fault of the aggressor and that he should not face the consequences.

Even Viktor's best speeches and videos will not be able to convince this child that Putin is not guilty. No one will ever be able to explain to the European voters why Europe should return 200 billion euros to Putin after everything he destroyed and after all the hard decisions Europe had to make because of his war.

Just like confiscating money from drug dealers and seizing weapons from terrorists, Russia's assets should be used to defend against Russian aggression and rebuild what was destroyed, destroyed, by Russian attacks. It is ethical. That's fair. And this is legitimate - confirmed by the assessment of numerous specialists. This decision should be made by Europe, not by someone else who is putting pressure on Europe or trying to sell European interests to Moscow again.

And if – or when – this decision to fully use Russian assets to defend against Russian aggression is made, then, as in the case of other, previous strong decisions by Europe, it will become clear to everyone later that it was the right choice that made Europe stronger.

I want to make it very clear: If the war is not ended diplomatically in the near future, and Russia continues to demonstrate that it wants to continue the war and increase its attacks next year, we will use these funds primarily for weapons. This is understandable. And a significant part of them will be spent on European weapons, that is, this money will support your industry. And of course, most of these funds should work for the benefit of Europe - for the European and Ukrainian arms industry.

But we also need to remain flexible and be able to buy what Europe does not yet produce. It's unfortunate, but it's a fact. In particular, these are weapons from the United States, such as air defense missiles and other systems, among others through the PURL initiative. And it's also a sign that America remains part of the process. And I know, I really know, dear leaders, that not everyone likes the PURL initiative. But how else can we survive this winter? We need missiles for Patriot systems.

If, on the contrary, diplomacy works and Russia begins to take real steps to end the war, then the frozen Russian assets should be used for recovery after the aggression. And it is again fair that Russia pays for what it destroyed. It also means money for European companies to help rebuild.

So if these funds can contribute to European security – by holding the aggressor accountable for the war against Ukraine and against Europe – why should we leave Moscow with any hope or confidence that the money will still be returned, no matter what it does? And we need to look at Putin and his decisions with absolute clarity. He can only continue this war as long as he has vast sums of money to send more men to the front and buy equipment abroad.

We know that Putin cannot continue to attack and maintain social stability in Russia at the same time; he doesn't have enough money for both. And we are already seeing signs of this: Russia has begun to cut military spending. They even reduced the payments to those who are sent to die. This clearly proves one thing: Moscow should not receive any positive signals about this money. Anything else would be the wrong policy.

And let's not give Putin hope - hope that he can fight for another year or two, and then Europe will reward him for this by returning 200 billion euros. And if someone wants to invest in further Russian aggression, let them say so openly, and not hide behind excuses. And I know that Russia will intimidate various countries in connection with this decision. But we should not be afraid of these threats - we should be afraid that Europe will be weak. Dear leaders! One more question.

How can we sincerely believe in the future security guarantees - the ones we talk about a lot and which are enshrined in the Euro-Atlantic documents - if Europe is unable to make this one very important decision: a financial security guarantee for Ukraine in a completely morally clear and completely fair situation? And if there is no European solution now, then all the words we have heard for years about our European solidarity, autonomy and Europe's ability to defend global justice will have no meaning.

If this is not done now, the Russians - and not only them - will feel that Europe can be defeated. Defeat is definitely not what the Europeans need. Your people need Europe to protect its resources and remain at the center of global processes. Your people need Europe not to retreat before the aggressors. Europe is and will always be the most important and influential democratic space in the world, as well as one of the world's leading forces for peace.

No rewards for the aggressor is the basic principle of peace. And this is what needs to be confirmed now. The European Commission's proposal for a reparation loan provides for a reasonable and fair approach. And this should become a significant contribution of the European Union to strengthening Ukraine's position at the negotiating table. If we know, and if Putin knows, that we can maintain resilience for at least a few more years, his motivation to drag this war out will be much weaker.