May your decisions finish the war and bring a long peace, not a temporary illusion-a presidential speech at the 76th session of the Northern Council

We really feel your support, and we will always remember the sincere devotion of the northern countries, with which they help us to defend our country, our people, our freedom. Thank you very much! Your support is one of the strongest in the world. This is true. Here, in Iceland, and especially in this historic alting building, you can clearly feel what time it means.

It becomes clear how important it is for society to develop and retain our best qualities not just for years, but by our generations. Your respect for freedom, human life and the environment is a reflection of the time that you have for a peaceful life, the development of your culture and the preservation of a unique spirit inherent in the Scandinavian countries. You had this precious time - peacetime. Ukraine is also entitled to such a time.

Our people, our strong people are worthy of peaceful generations - time for life, for the development of our culture, for the opportunity to freely share with the world what makes Ukraine unique. Not a temporary pause from the horror, which was unleashed by Russia, Putin and their aggression, not several years of lull before the next Russian invasion and, of course, not life -long subordination to the will of some madman from the Kremlin.

Ukrainians have the right to a real and long peace, and I thank you for helping us to achieve it. Without you we would not be able to withstand. Thank you for all your help. Dear friends! Ukraine did not have a day, trying to bring peace closer. Tomorrow, Canada will begin a thematic conference dedicated to one of the most sensitive issues of our peace formula. The Ukrainian team and many of our partners will work on the issue of returning Ukrainian children stolen by Russia.

It is one of the most painful aspects of this terrible war. It is about tens of thousands of children stolen from Russia from the occupied territories of Ukraine. Some of them we know where they are, in what conditions and how they are taught to forget Ukraine, even deception, saying that they have no families. But most of them we still do not know where they are now.

These are children from orphanages in Russian occupied territories, children who lost their parents through Russian bombs, and those who have been divorced with families during Russian filtration events. Among them, babies, teenagers and so many young lives that should not be scattered throughout Russia, where hatred for Ukraine, and should be with their loved ones in their country.

The compulsion of children to change one nation to another and to erase their identity is, of course, the practice of genocide. Russia does this from the beginning of the invasion. The International Criminal Court has already issued a Putin arrest warrant on the basis of these actions. And although we managed to return some of these children, every child, which is a year or two in such conditions, loses much more than just time. It is largely the loss of their own future.

Wars often leave monuments to unknown soldiers. But at least let's not leave the monument to the stolen and deported future of these Ukrainian children. This is one of the many reasons that this war cannot end with just silence on the front after behind -the -scenes discussions and private arrangements for a bunch of politicians. We need to return deported and prisoners to Ukraine.

We need to restore justice for millions, millions of people whose cities and villages have been destroyed by Russian bombs. We should prevent the repetition of Russian aggression, and this needs to be completely restored by the force of international law and the UN Charter. We must protect Ukraine's sovereignty and our territorial integrity, the safety of our people and our right to live freely, as well as your peoples, like any other people. True peace always has many components.

This means providing both people's needs and safety. We have all the necessary answers. I am grateful to your countries and all our partners who support the Victory Plan of Ukraine. This is a clear and powerful list of points that can force Russia to a real peace. Yesterday we discussed this with the prime ministers of your countries at the Ukrainian Summit-Northern Europe.

And we talked about defense, we talked about joint production, geopolitical and economic issues - all that gives us a common force. And I thank you for your willingness to implement the Victory Plan-yesterday we agreed with the prime ministers of your countries. Dear friends! The free world has everything you need to protect themselves and everything that people value in life. He has everything from moral integrity to military force.

Everything you need is the determination to act, to realize what is needed for peace. And I urge you to continue working with us and all other partners to protect life from Russian attacks. And I urge you to continue to press on Russia through this war. Effective sanctions against Russia, stopping the Russian shadow tanker fleet that funds Putin's aggression, and providing all the necessary weapons to our soldiers are all tools that bring true peace.

I ask you to continue to build all the necessary joint and national production, which provides freedom. Anti -air defense, weapons, microchips - all this matters. We need to expand our cooperation in Europe and the Euro -Atlantic region. Unity is crucial. Unity retains peace in Europe. And that is why Ukraine seeks to be part of this unity. Our people, our nation deserve to join the EU and NATO, and I am grateful to your countries for supporting geopolitical certainty along this path.

And I ask you to remember that in wartime, every decision made by the partner of the one who is attacked is first and foremost a decision. Time how long will the war last. How long will the injustice last. How long will it not be a real, long peace. May your decisions finish the war and bring a real long peace, not temporary illusion. This is absolutely possible. Ukraine deserves a real peace. It is just as clearly and transparently as the crystal clear water we saw here in Tingwellir.