Address by the President to the Participants of the Four Freedoms Awards Ceremony

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Thank you so much!

Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness,

Dear Prime Minister, dear friends,

Dear Netherlands,

Thank you for your attention and support for our people, for Ukraine, for what we are going through.

Today in Ukraine is another very hard day, really hard night - the day after a massive Russian attack. In just one night, there were nearly 300 attack drones, 19 ballistic missiles, as well as cruise missiles. Air-raid sirens sounded across many of our cities. And this came after waves of "shaheds" had filled our skies just yesterday. Dozens of people have been injured. And sadly, so sadly, there are also lives lost in Odesa, Kyiv, in Dnipro. Just ordinary people, children, civilians, killed by Russian madness.

If it's possible, please, I ask you now to honor their memory, and all those whose lives have been taken by this terrible war, with a minute of silence.

Thank you.

This is impossible to accept - no rational person can accept it: Russia's war against our people, against Ukraine, and against the basic principles of normal human life, is now in its fifth year. A full-scale war. Started by one man - only one person - in Moscow who wanted total control. In the past, when such wars began or were only emerging, one could say that this was an unprecedented moment in history - when such great evil threatened everyone, and when every nation had to decide how to act. But today, this is definitely not unprecedented. We have seen this before - aggressive, unjust, terror-driven full-scale wars that leave behind ruins and dark chapters in history. Putin knows exactly what he is doing - exactly - and who he resembles. And he is rightly compared to Nazis. He has the same expansionist ambitions - he wants to decide the fate of nations, and whether they have the right to exist at all. And at the core of Russia's war against Ukraine is a false claim - that Ukraine does not exist, that it is allegedly a part of Russia. And this is not just about history. Not just politics or not just ideology. It's the basis of their goal - to erase Ukraine completely. And not only Ukraine. Russia has openly, repeatedly said it wants to control all its neighbors. It wants to decide what security in Europe should look like - and whether it should exist at all. Russia has carried its war ideas as far as Syria and Africa. And this is a truly global threat. And it matters that many in the world see it exactly this way - as a global threat.

When the full-scale war began, we heard really different reactions. And some were afraid of what would come next - next day, next moment. Some waited to see whether Ukrainians would withstand the first strikes - and only then decided whether to help. But there were also those who understood it immediately. And people like that - those who called evil by its name - were the majority. And you were among them - among those who understood immediately, among those who stepped forward to help, among those who are now helping with true leadership. And I am grateful to you for your support. I'm grateful that the Netherlands truly stands for the protection of life. Thank you. Thanks to you people. Thank you so much.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The world did not look away from this war. It did not hand Ukraine over to a predator. And that has changed a lot - not only, by the way, not only for Ukraine.

I am convinced that because of this, we still live in a world that is not divided among predators. A world still built on the values of freedom and respect for human life. Yes, wars continue. Sadly, people are still dying. Yes, we often hear that international law and the global order are broken. But there is still a clear majority of nations that recognize that war is not normal, killing people is not normal, and aggression and violence must be stopped.

People feel this. Really. And the fact that people care, that countries care, that you care, gives us all a real chance. A chance that one day the world will no longer be a victim of wars. That one day the world will have a system - military, political, and legal - strong enough to restrain aggressors. That one day, people will be able to say that at last, we no longer have to fear ruins. This is a fundamental freedom we still lack - freedom from ruins, freedom from those who bring ruins - freedom from those who seek to destroy everything that matters to normal people, to normal life. Freedom is never abstract. We must remember this. It is not something given. It is not something that exists in the air. Freedom is a condition people fight for - for themselves and for their children. It is a condition that must be protected. And it always requires a strong foundation - security, legal, cultural, and educational, and also something deeper - something people feel. A foundation that makes it clear - evil will be punished. Punished absolutely.

And this is crucial.

Why do wars return? Because those who start them believe they will not be punished. That's why it is not enough when history judges only with truth. Not enough when memory alone delivers judgment. There must be law. There must be international law. There must be the international community enforcing it. And we must achieve this. And this is what we are working on - including with the Netherlands. We are working so that no victim of Russian aggression is left without a just response to the aggressor.

Yes, it's critically important that you and our other partners continue to support us with weapons - especially air defense. It's crucial. It's important that together we can stop this war and that diplomacy can work. It is important that pressure on Russia continues - sanctions and all other restrictions. But it is just as important that Russia is held accountable for this aggression - legally and in practice. And that Russian war criminals do not enjoy normal life, but face fair sentences. This is necessary. Just as it was necessary after the Second World War.

And this is what we are doing here in Europe, here in the Netherlands. We are working to launch the Tribunal for Russia's aggression against Ukraine - and I thank you for your help. We are working to ensure that the international legal system is firm and uncompromising toward Russian war criminals. Please support this. And please remember - all freedoms are fragile without the most basic freedom: freedom from ruins. Without basic security. And when those who start wars feel no accountability.

So do not let Russia go unpunished. Thank you so much!

Glory to Ukraine!