The address of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk to both Chambers of the Parliament of the Republic of Poland (Warsaw, 25 May 2023)

The great Polish people and our close neighbour have shown unconditional love for their neighbour.

The whole world is impressed by the amazing humanity and determination of the Poles!

In 2001, during his memorable visit to Ukraine, St John Paul II, who is dear to both you and us, said: “High civilisations are not measured only by economic progress, but mainly by morality and spirituality.”

One in three Poles has been involved in helping Ukraine in its hour of need in one way or another.

Low bow and sincere gratitude to you, dear Polish people!

Ladies and gentlemen,

Right now, at this very moment, a thousand kilometres away, fierce fighting is taking place.

Can you hear the guns roaring?

I know you do.

Can you hear the brave hearts of Ukrainian soldiers beating?

I know you do.

Do you hear Ukrainian mothers praying?

I know you do.

Because from the first moments of the criminal aggression of the russian federation, you have opened your borders, homes and hearts to millions of Ukrainians without hesitation.

The Polish people have repeatedly defended their homeland against russian imperialism and communist terror with arms in their hands.

I know that today you are ready to defend the values of freedom and independence.

As did those Ukrainian citizens with Polish roots who are no longer with us, but who we will never forget about.

Ihor Branowycki from Kyiv.

Andriy Vitvitsky from Ivano-Frankivsk.

Vadym Zabrotskyi from Zhytomyr.

Ivan Isyk from Drohobych.

Volodymyr Haletskyi from Berdychiv.

All of them had two countries in their hearts.

They had two homelands that they equally honoured and defended.

There are no tears and rage to convey our common grief and desire to avenge each and every one of them.

Almost every day I pass by the mural of Oleksandr Matsievskyi, whose life was cut short by an occupier’s automatic weapon.

His last words were “Glory to Ukraine”.

We bury our heroes every day.

We come to their graves every day.

Yesterday, at the Povonzky cemetery, I honoured the memory of Polish citizen Daniel Stieber.

He would have turned 36 yesterday.

Together with his Polish brothers Tomasz Walentek, Janusz Sheremeta, Krzysztof Tyfel, he shed blood for our freedom and yours as part of the International Legion.

Marek Mastalerz, a volunteer from Poznan, is also on this sad list.

Eternal and bright memory to those who died defending or helping Ukraine, while having a great love for Poland.

And therefore, love for freedom and their neighbours.

Please observe a minute of silence for all those who gave their lives for a free Ukraine, a free Poland, and for the values on which a free Europe is built.

Dear members of the Sejm and Senate,

The 1,500 kilometres of active frontline that Ukraine holds today is a bloody scar on the body of Europe.

Like all our other wounds, it will not heal soon.

I am grateful to you for believing in us, in our victory, which will be a victory for Poland and the entire free world.

You have become our temporary shelter, a reliable rear, a huge humanitarian and military hub through which aid from all over the world comes to Ukraine.

You treat Ukrainian soldiers, train doctors, and teach our children.

I am grateful to the President of Poland, members of the Sejm and Senate, the Prime Minister, ministers, cities, voivodeships, counties and gminas.

We are sincerely grateful for the military assistance already provided by Poland, which is being effectively used on the battlefield by our defenders.

We will never forget Poland’s leadership in the creation of the tank coalition, as we received the first Leopards from you.

We believe that a flying coalition will soon be created, in which Poland will take a leading role.

After all, the war is ongoing.

And today Ukraine needs enhanced security support.

Despite the brutal war against us, we dream of peace.

Thank you for supporting the peace formula of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, who asked me to greet you and thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Dear brotherly Polish people!

Justice is a value that has taken on a new meaning for us in this terrible war.

I am talking about the irreversibility of punishment.

A murderer must know that punishment for his crimes is inevitable.

I thank you, members of the Seimas, for your clear condemnation of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of genocide committed by russia on the territory of Ukraine.

Thank you for supporting the establishment of a special tribunal.

I am grateful to both Houses for recognising the russian regime as a terrorist one. 

I would especially like to thank the members of the Senate for adopting a resolution condemning russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children.

We do not yet know exactly how many little lives the enemy is trying to ruin.

More than 19,000 such cases have already been recorded in criminal proceedings.

But I am afraid that the reality is even more terrible.

The forced transfer of children to a foreign country is an element of the crime of genocide.

I am grateful to the Marshal of the Sejm, dear Ms. Elzbieta Witek, for initiating cooperation between women presidents of the European Union parliaments with a special focus on such russian crimes as the abduction of Ukrainian children and trafficking in women.

Dear friends, our Polish brothers and sisters,

The Ukrainian people in their spirit and values have always been, are and will always be part of Western civilisation.

And today, Ukrainian men and women are defending these civilisational values at the cost of their lives.

Isn’t this the strongest argument for finally accepting Ukraine into the European and Euro-Atlantic family?

The free world must realise that the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance will never be complete without Ukraine.

I am sincerely grateful that Poland understands this well.

I thank the Senate of Poland for the resolution in which you unanimously supported the accelerated procedure for Ukraine’s membership in NATO and the need to provide Ukraine with security guarantees until it joins the Alliance.

I see your great role and merit in this decision, Mr.Marshal of the Senate, dear Tomasz.

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

Despite the ongoing war, we must start rebuilding Ukraine today.

We see Poland as an important part of this great and ambitious project.

Together, we will rebuild Ukraine better than it was before.

We welcome the procedure launched by Poland to confiscate russian assets – the losses caused to us must be compensated by the aggressor.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Our peoples have repeatedly suffered the pain of millions of losses from the russian Empire, from the bolshevik and later communist regimes.

We remember well Katyn, Midne, Kharkiv, Bykivnia.

Today, the world has seen the horrors that the russian world brought to Ukrainian land – in Bucha, Borodianka, Izium, Chernihiv.

After the russian occupation, torture sites and unmarked graves are still being found there.

But we are doing everything we can to return a name to each person so that they can be buried with dignity.

This is their inalienable right – the right to a decent burial and eternal memory.

We are ready and open to cooperation with Poland.

Together we will search for and restore places of memory.

Together, we will bring back from oblivion the names of those who rest in unmarked graves, both in Ukraine and in Poland.

Without prohibitions and barriers.

This is our common moral and Christian duty.

The lessons of our common history, among which the most difficult were the lessons of the First and Second World Wars and the lessons of totalitarian regimes, teach us one thing:

- the enemy is afraid when we are together;

- the enemy does not want us to live in peace;

- the enemy will do everything to make us quarrel.

The 80th anniversary of the terrible events in Volyn is approaching.

We understand your pain at the loss of your dearest ones.

To all the families and descendants of those events in Volyn, I would like to express my sincere condolences and gratitude for keeping the memory of your ancestors alive.

A memory that does not call for revenge or hatred, but serves as a warning so that nothing like this will ever happen again between our peoples.

Human life is equally valuable, regardless of nationality, gender, race or religion.

And with this awareness, we will work with you, dear Polish friends, accepting the truth, no matter how painful it may be.

Together we must pass this difficult, but essential exam.

So that the formula “we forgive and apologise” can have a real meaning and practical dimension.

Together we will find the truth and make fair assessments.

I want us to honour and not forget the glorious brotherhood of our arms.

How we liberated Kyiv together over a hundred years ago and saved Europe from the bolshevik invasion.

How our nations united in the January Uprising against russian oppression.

May the memory of these heroic events further unite our peoples and our countries.

Dear Polish friends!

I want you to feel the boundless gratitude of all Ukrainians for everything you are doing for Ukraine today.

I want us to realise that, perhaps for the first time, history has given us – our presidents, parliaments and governments – a unique chance and responsibility to become the creators of a new future for good neighbours Ukraine and Poland.

I want us to write our new history together – without rewriting it or tearing out any of the pages that have already been written and experienced.

During my stay in Warsaw, many of my Polish friends asked me not to thank you: they said that we, the Poles, should thank you.

But let this remain the only request which I will not heed today to.

Thank you, Poles!

How good it is that we have you!

Glory to Ukraine!

Glory to Poland!