President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Michal Szczerba (Poland) joined the Speakers and Deputy Speakers of some 40 Parliaments who convened in Prague on 24 October 2023 at the invitation of Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies, Miloš Vystrčil, President of the Czech Senate and Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, for the second parliamentary summit of the International Crimea Platform. In his address to the summit, President Szczerba urged assembled parliamentary leaders to continue to demonstrate unwavering unity and resolve in support of Ukraine, its sovereignty, territorial integrity, right to self-defence and NATO membership path.
“We gather here today to reaffirm our full solidarity with Ukraine — a nation fighting for its survival but also for our values”, Mr Szczerba started. “We must make sure that there will be no war fatigue in our countries. Ukraine can count on our steadfast support – not just to defend itself, but to win”, he continued.
President Szczerba, who is accompanied at the Summit by Audronius Azubalis (Lithuania), Co-Chair of the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council – the Assembly’s dedicated platform for cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, also reaffirmed the Assembly’s steadfast rejection of Russia’s illegal annexation claims. “We reaffirm that we will never, ever recognise any of Russia’s illegal attempted annexation. Crimea is Ukraine. Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia are Ukraine. “
Highlighting the need to step up support now to help Ukraine win, Mr Szczerba also stressed that “there is no future security order in Europe and that this security order will not be complete without Ukraine in NATO”.
Mr Szczerba has also served as the NATO PA’s Rapporteur for two special declarations on Ukraine in 2022 and 2023, as well as Rapporteur on Ukraine’s reconstruction for the Assembly’s Economics and Security Committee.
The International Crimea Platform, formally established in August 2021, aims to mobilise international attention on Russia’s ongoing occupation of Crimea. The Assembly was one of the first organisations to support this initiative by setting up a Crimea Platform support group, and then President Gerald E. Connolly (United States) attended and addressed the inaugural parliamentary summit of the Crimea Platform in Zagreb, Croatia in October 2022.
The Assembly has continuously intensified its cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine since 2014 and broke off relations with the Russian parliament just two weeks after Russia’s illegal and forcible annexation of Crimea. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the Assembly redoubled its support for Ukraine by condemning the war, supporting crippling economic sanctions against Russia, fighting for the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression and working with Ukrainian parliamentarians to secure a constant flow of military equipment and humanitarian assistance. The Assembly also established a special fund to support the Verkhovna Rada.
President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Michal Szczerba address, Second Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform, Prague, Czech Republic, 24 October 2023
Dear Madam Speaker Adamová,
Dear Ruslan,
Honoured Speakers of Parliament,
Ladies and gentlemen,
We gather here today to reaffirm our full solidarity with Ukraine — a nation fighting for its survival, but also for our values.
We stand united to ensure that democracy and the rules-based international order prevail over imperialism and autocracy.
Here in Prague, we reaffirm that we will never, ever recognise any of Russia’s illegal attempted annexations.
Crimea is Ukraine. Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia are Ukraine.
It is more than 600 days since Putin restarted his brutal invasion.
Unprovoked and unjustified.
Our Assembly has stood with Ukraine from day one.
We speak frankly and with one voice.
Last May already, we recognised that, with its attacks on critical infrastructure and urban centres, the Russian state, under the current regime, is a terrorist one.
We denounce Russia’s war crimes, crimes against humanity and reported acts of genocide, including the deportation of Ukrainian children. We call for the regime and its co-aggressors to be held accountable. We support the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia’s crime of aggression.
We must also keep up the pressure on Russia through expanded massive, crippling and sustained sanctions.
And we must make sure that there will be no war fatigue in our countries. Ukraine can count on our steadfast support – not just to defend itself, but to win.
We must also offer our full support to President Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula and reaffirm our main aim: “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine”.
Already now, we must secure funding for Ukraine’s reconstruction. To do so, I urge all of you and your parliaments to create a legal framework to allow for the use of Russian frozen assets.
Last but not least, we must make clear that there is no future security order in Europe and that this security order will not be complete without Ukraine in NATO.
That is why, at our meeting in Copenhagen two weeks ago, our Assembly also agreed to upgrade our Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council to better support Ukraine on its path to NATO membership.
Dear colleagues,
The challenges our nations face today are many, and they are spreading. But as we address these too, our support for Ukraine cannot and will not waver.
I can assure you that my country, Poland, is back where it belongs. With a historic turnout of 75%, our people confirmed that democratic resilience is essential to us. And we will stand with Ukraine. Until victory.
Thank you. Slava Ukraini!
