It is a special honor for me — Olena Kondratiuk —Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine — to be here in the Seimas today.
It is a special honor to address you and the people of Lithuania on behalf of the Parliament of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in Ukrainian language!

InUkrainian language, which the Russian aggressor wants to "denazify" and actually destroy together with the Ukrainian people.
 And that is why I want more peoples of Europe and the world to know, hear and respect Ukrainian language, which will soon become one of the official languages ??of the European Union.
 I am sincerely grateful to Ms. Speaker, Ms. Victoria, for the personal invitation to visit the sister Republic of Lithuania.
 We highly appreciate and warmly remember your courageous visit to Ukraine and your wonderful speech in the Verkhovna Rada.
That  was one of the first at such a high level after the start of a large-scale Russian invasion.

On February 24, 2022, I, like millions of Ukrainians, woke up to the explosions in Kyiv.  I remember that the day before, in conversations with our colleagues in he Parliament, we felt that the risk of a large-scale Russian invasion was very high.
 But we, peaceful people with European thinking, who until February 24 still hoped for the existence of the architecture of world security, could not even think that the neighboring country would dare start this madness, which quickly turned into genocide of the Ukrainian people.
 Speaking from the rostrum of the Parliament of Ukraine, Ms. Speaker, you rightly said that this happened because the West did not stop Russia in 2014, but is obliged to do so now.
 Today, Ukrainians are fighting not only for their freedom, but for the freedom of the whole of Europe.
 It is also true that February 24 changed the situation in Europe forever.  We need to restructure our common global security policy.
We have not felt the support and protection from the United Nations that we hoped for and had every right to do as a founding member of the United Nations.
 This organization was created under the "Never again"slogan  just to prevent the horrors of World War II from happening again.
 But it happened again - a great and destructive war came to Europe again because of a long policy of appeasement of the aggressor and compromises with evil.
 We must clearly understand, without any illusions, that the Third World War has already begun. It is already happening , as a great friend of the Ukrainian people Dalia Grybauskaite says.
 That is why we need to build a new world security system where no one has a veto.
 These changes require responsible leadership, determination and partnership!
 As Lithuania demonstrates.
 You have always felt and heard us in a special way.
 Without hesitation, yo stoodby our side in the battle against absolute evil, which was revived in Russism.
 You were with us on the most difficult day - February 24.  The day the Seimas convened for an extraordinary meeting and unanimously approved a statement in support of Ukraine and condemnation of Russian aggression.
 It is necessary to fight not only with Russia, but also with the pro-Russian position in the EU, which is generously paid for with discounts on oil, gas, cheap loans and lively speeches of propagandists and disinformers from "Russia Today"!
Lithuania became an example for the whole world when it was the first to send Russian diplomats and refused Russian gas in principle!
 Russia must be excluded from all international institutions, from the UN Security Council and isolated from the civilized world like a cancerous tumor.
 It is also necessary to reconsider the right of veto in decision-making in the EU!
 I am proud that the people of Lithuania are among the leaders in supporting Ukraine's accession to the EU.
 According to opinion polls, 82% of Lithuanians agree that our country should become a full member of the European Union.
 You, the deputies, are the representatives of your people, and you voted for the immediate granting  Ukraine the status of a candidate country  for the EU membership.
 Thank you for such sincere support for the European choice of the Ukrainian people.
 Similarly, more than 30 years ago, the Ukrainian Parliament condemned Russian aggression in Lithuania.
 Similarly, after Lithuania declared independence, Russia threw in its 76th Airborne Division from Pskov and the KGB to killthe Lithuanians.
 Similarly, militants of the 234th Assault Regiment of this division are committing crimes in Ukraine and took part in the annexation of Crimea.

Lithuanians who died defending the TV center knew that their children would live in a happy, strong European country.  We, Ukrainians, also assert our European choice.
 Paying tribute to the defenders of the Vilnius TV Center, citizens of Lithuania and other nations who came out unarmed against Soviet tanks, I want to repeat the last words that were heard on  air, "We appeal to all who hear us.  There is a possibility that the army will break us by force or close our companies, but no one will force us to give up freedom and Independence! ”
 We pay a very heavy and painful price for our Independence every day: the lives of the defenders of Ukraine, volunteers and journalists, the lives of our children.
 And you have proved that European values, human rights values ??are higher than any material things, money and resources.
 We in Ukraine are watching with admiration how the Lithuanian people support Ukraine.
Thousands of marches in support of Ukraine;  Ukrainian flags on the streets of your cities;  renaming the street near the Russian Embassy in Vilnius in honor of the Ukrainian Heroes;
 a hospitable reception of tens of thousands of Ukrainians who came to Lithuania in search of temporary protection from the Russian invasion to save their lives and the lives of their children.
 I have no doubt that, if necessary, the Ukrainian army will defend Lithuania in the same way and send military aid as you are defending our people today.
 Yes, Ukraine is still not in NATO, but no one will forbid us to fight side by side with a common enemy.
 Now is a special time to be as brave as Ukrainians!
 We must do everything we can to prevent Russists  from committing these atrocities in any other European country.
 So that no city is erased from the map of Europe, like Ukrainian cities have been.

So that never again and no one could do what they did when they have tortured, pulled out nails, cut off limbs alive, raped women in front of their children, raped children in front of their parents and shot innocent Ukrainians, civilians in Bucha, Irpen, Borodyanka, Mariupol  !!
 It is the responsibility of the international community to document all these war crimes and crimes against humanity.
 It is our duty to prosecute all those who committed them.  Everyone who gave orders to do this horror.
 It was not a coincidence, but a pre-planned genocide.
 And it is very important for me to be here today, in this building of representative democracy, when you vote on the Resolution on the recognition by the Seimas of the actions of the Russian armed forces and the Russian military and political leadership in Ukraine as genocide of the Ukrainian people.

All these bold political decisions and human actions prove that there are no borders between our countries and peoples!
 Such a strategic partnership between Ukraine and Lithuania, at the level of countries, parliaments and peoples, is an example of what New Europe should be based on after our joint victory over the Russian aggressor.
 We see Europe as free, strong, united, creative, successful, self-sufficient.  Once and for all independent of Russia's political, military, economic and energy influence.
 Every day, cities such as Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, London, Paris, Stockholm, Warsaw and many other beautiful European cities have the opportunity to wake up peacefully, gather for work, enjoy a quiet and peaceful life thanks to Ukrainians who are in the trenches on the front line.  surrounded at Azovstal in Mariupol, which take on the deadly blows of Russian missiles.
I sincerely wish everyone in Europe to never, never, ever hear the air raid warnings, to not see missiles hit houses and railway stations, to not spend the night in basements, to not close their monuments in protective frames.
 Never know what the shooting lists are, never see so much destruction, blood and human suffering, never bury your citizens in mass graves, in courtyards, in schools and kindergartens.
 This will never happen if Ukraine receives all the necessary support and assistance from Europe and the democratic world - without any conditions, without bureaucracy, without stories that this is not timely, that it is impossible and that some additional consultations are needed.
 We have shown that you can successfully fight and defeat the so-called "second army of the world", when you have the good, the truth, your land, your children and the desire to live freely and with dignity.
And together with you, we will show the world how to rebuild Ukraine, which aspires to EU membership.
 Ukraine needs a new Marshall Plan.  The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already established the National Council for the Recovery of Ukraine from the Consequences of the War, in which European integration, as a process of transformation of the country, plays a key role.
 Donors, who have already raised $ 6.5 billion to rebuild Ukraine at an international conference in Warsaw, have a similar role to play.
 An online fundraising platform in support of Ukraine has also been launched as part of the United24 global project.
 Taking this opportunity, I appeal to Lithuania to take patronage over the reconstruction and return to life of the destroyed Ukrainian cities and towns.
 We are waiting for your experts, engineers, builders, everyone who wants to help.
 On behalf of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, I would like to express my gratitude to Lithuania for the comprehensive support and assistance you are already providing.  From weapons, the transfer of equipment to restoring the briadcasting in the affected regions to alternative routes for the export of Ukrainian grain.
 
 Dear colleagues!
 Today, together with you, we have become one day closer to victory over the Russian aggressor.
 We will definitely win!
 We will share the joy of victory with you!
 
 Ukraine will win!
Kartu mes laimesime! (We will win together!)
Glory to Ukraine!
Slove Lietuvai! (Glory to Lithuania!)