Kyiv, 23 august 2023

Dear President Zelenskyy, honorable guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It has been nine years since Russia invaded and subsequently annexed Crimea. In the aftermath of the annexation, the human rights situation on the peninsula sharply deteriorated. Furthermore, museums have been plundered, and some sites recognized as UNESCO World Heritage have been damaged. However, the annexation we witnessed had much broader spill-over effects. Russia turned Crimea into a springboard to project military power deeper into Ukraine and beyond, with far-reaching consequences for Ukraine itself, for the victims of aggression, for my country as well, and for the wider international community.

Operating from Crimea, Russia grabbed more Ukrainian land, pushed for a land corridor towards Moldova, restricted freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, threatened navigation on the Danube River, disrupted grain exports toward global markets, and perhaps set an example to be emulated in other parts of the world by potential aggressors. Thus, the annexation of Crimea is not only a national security challenge but also a regional and global one, requiring a persistent and firm international response. Our principal aim must be to restore the rule of international law in Ukraine and discourage such violations in the future. Russia, the aggressor state, must be denied all proceeds of aggression, meaning the total and unconditional de-occupation of Ukraine, including Crimea. The aggressor state must be held accountable for acts of aggression. 

An unambiguous message for Russia and any other aggressor must be: charge does not pay off. To accomplish all this, determined actions on four levels are required:

• 1. The international community shall commit to providing Ukraine in the short and long term with all the necessary means to exercise self-defense today, effectively, and in the future. As we are rapidly approaching the cold season, Ukraine needs additional supplies of air defense systems. Russia's criminal intent to leave Ukrainians in the cold, darkness, and without water this winter must fail.
  
  

• 2. The international community must double efforts to weaken Russia's industrial and financial prowess to wage war. To this end, sanctions need to be tightened, and more actions must be directed toward preventing sanctions evasion.
  
  

• 3. The international community must act to ensure the accountability of the aggressor. Personal sanctions applied so far represent a form of preliminary responsibility. The work on gathering irrefutable evidence of war crimes must accelerate. Justice is integral to restoring the force of international law in Ukraine and worldwide. In this respect, I want to reiterate Moldova’s support for establishing a Special International Tribunal for the crimes of aggression against Ukraine.
  
  

• 4. All three actions must go hand in hand with the reconstruction of Ukraine, supported by the international community. In areas that have been liberated and where the situation allows, rebuilding of houses, schools, kindergartens, and bridges shall proceed. The experience of reconstruction in Irpin, Bucha, and Hostomel shall be applied more broadly across liberated areas. In parallel, the international community shall not rest in preparing for a much larger reconstruction effort at the end of this war.
  
  

Moldova is ready to do its fair share in restoring international law and supporting Ukraine. We are gradually aligning with EU sanctions on Russia. We are assisting in demining Ukraine. We host thousands of refugees, mostly mothers, grandmothers, and children who fled war. Moldovan Health and Education systems provide Ukrainian families with services and support, and we try to make them feel as at home as possible.

We are providing routes for Ukraine's grain exports to world markets. This is despite war impacting our agricultural producers, exporters, and economy. 

We are committed to expanding these routes and serving as a transport hub for reconstruction efforts in Ukraine. There is no hesitation in Moldova about support for Ukraine because we know it could have been us. We know because we have already experienced the Russian special operations in Transnistria. 

We fully endorse President Zelenskiy's "peace formula" and the idea of a Global Peace Summit on Ukraine this fall. The people and Government of Moldova are united in their commitment to support Ukraine until victory.

In conclusion, allow me to express deep condolences to the families and friends of those who have fallen while defending Ukraine and resisting Russian aggression. The Moldovan people are grieving alongside the Ukrainian people and will never forget their sacrifice for their freedom and ours, for our common democratic future. 

Crimea is Ukraine. Slava Ukrainy!