Dear President von der Leyen,
Ukrainian civil society and advocates for Ukraine’s victory would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your personal leadership in standing by Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression.
Most Americans have no clue about the extent of civilian destruction, rape, murder, and torture the Kremlin has brought to Russian-occupied territories.
I emphasize the word deliberate, because bombing civilians and civilian infrastructure is the centerpiece of Russia’s strategy to destroy Ukraine, even if it can’t occupy the country fully.
We fully appreciate our knees only when they stop working. The same is true of the global order: its former benefits become apparent only as it collapses. And when order collapses, the weak usually suffer most. This law of history should be on the minds of world leaders in the run-up to the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland on June 15th.
Ukraine’s official membership negotiations with the EU began on 25 June. It is a significant moral boost for a country that continues to fight for its survival amid Russia’s full-scale invasion. The war also threatens the EU’s security, reinforcing the relevance of security and defence considerations, making enlargement a geopolitical necessity.
Giorgia Meloni’s leadership in the EU, the G7 summit, and now at the Ukraine peace summit has cemented her role as a leading figure in Europe. The Italian PM took on Vladimir Putin directly during her remarks at the two-day peace summit in Switzerland in a set of defiant remarks.
When President Volodymyr Zelensky walked into the high-ceilinged, ornate conference room in the presidential office building, the exhaustion on his face was so stark I almost felt guilty about taking his time.
The future of Western democracies rests heavily on what happens to Ukraine.