Europe's Moment: Ursula von der Leyen EU debates at Princeton University!

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, delivered a keynote speech at Princeton University. She was in conversation with SPIA Professor Andrew #Moravcsik and introduced by Dean Amaney #Jamal.
#eudebates #vonderleyen #princetonuniversity #princeton #university #debates #debate
Thank you very much for welcoming me back to Princeton, Distinguished members of the Princeton faculty and administration, And most importantly, dear students,
Indeed, this is the United Nations General Assembly week right now. And you can imagine that one dominant topic was and is the war that Russia unleashed against Ukraine. It was 24 February when Russia invaded Ukraine and brought war back to Europe. I visited Kyiv for the first time since the beginning of the war round about five to six weeks after the invasion started. And I went to the town of Bucha. Before the war, Bucha was a quiet, friendly suburb on the outskirts of Kyiv. It has been occupied by Russian troops. Two days before I went to Bucha, it had been liberated by Ukrainian armed forces. When I went there, I saw mass graves; I saw the body bags lying there - men, women, children. I saw these brutal scars of missiles and bombs that had been aimed deliberately at residential areas, hospitals, schools kindergartens. So I basically saw first-hand the reality of Putin's war.
Last week, as you said, Andy, I was again in Kyiv and I was in Irpin, also on the outskirts of Kyiv. You still see the scars of the bombing of houses and hospitals and schools. I spoke, for example, to schoolchildren. And while we were speaking, when I visited that school, there was a missile alarm so we had to go to the shelter. And they told me that it was the third time on that day that they went to the shelter. That is their daily experience. But I also saw that life has come back to Kyiv. The streets were filled with people, the shops were open. People in Kyiv try to win their life back. The Ukrainian army is making impressive advances, liberating many towns and villages, and forcing the Russian army to retreat. Of course, I know that this all needs consolidation, but the success of the last days is lifting spirits - and not only the Ukrainian ones.
I know that some are calling to stop the fighting. But I must say that the reality is as follows: If Russia stops fighting, the war is over. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no more Ukraine. Much is at stake. Not just for Ukraine - but also for Europe, for the international community and for the global order. Russia has invaded Ukraine with the goal to wipe the country from the map - that is what Putin says and writes. So Ukrainians are fighting for their survival, but they are also fighting for global values. This is not only a war that Russia has unleashed against Ukraine. This is a war on our values; this is a war on the rules-based international order. This is an attack on the UN Charter. I mean, Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations, we should not forget it. This is trampling on the UN Charter. And this is a war about autocracy against democracy. And I tell you: Many, many worldwide are watching very precisely what the outcome is going to be.
From day one on, the United States and the European Union and many other friends have stood at Ukraine's side with weapons, and it is amazing to see the bravery of the Ukrainians fighting for their survival; with funds; with hospitality, on the European Union side, for more than 8.1 million refugees in seven months; and with the toughest sanctions the world has ever seen. Let me tell you that these sanctions have only been possible because of a very, very close cooperation with our friends in the United States. As you said, I have been in politics now round about 20 years, 14 of them in the government of Angela Merkel. Never ever have I experienced such an intense, trustful and detailed cooperation with the White House. And therefore, I think the saying is right: When you face a crisis, you know who your true friends are. Since last year already - it was around Christmas or New Year when Putin had started, as you might remember, to deploy 10,000 troops to encircle Ukraine -, our teams started to work on the sanctions to align the European system with the American system. They are very different but the effect of the sanctions should be the same. And we do not want extraterritorial effects but sovereign effects from the European Union but also all the other G7 members that joined us and, of course, the United States. And this intense work over weeks then had as consequence that when the invasion started - on day two, day four, day six -, we could immediately deliver three very heavy packages of sanctions that are unfolding their effect right now. The sanctions are biting. Russia has tried everything to camouflage the effects...

[@ninirema4532]

very super dear great mam
most interest speech.
very great EU
हजुरहरू सबैलाई हार्दिक नमस्कार छ।
🗻🌍🌋🏔🏕🐷🐂🐃🐒🐎🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🗻🐃🐃🐒🗻🗻🐐🐐🗻

[@Velthur]

Je n'aime pas cette petite dictatrice qui outrepasse ses compétences, qui fait des déclarations provocatrices insensées et qui semble soumise aux intérêts américains. Et par ailleurs, où sont les sms demandés par la médiatrice de l'UE ?

[@thelazy0ne]

EU membership comes with benefits and obligations. Nobody likes a weasel that wants to exploit the benefits and ignore the obligations.

[@alexanderthegreatoz5945]

An unelected person talking about tools that can be applied on nations that decide differently.

[@thelazy0ne]

Only on nations that have signed a treaty that stipulates how they'll act from that time onwards.
It's not all benefits, there are also obligations.

[@alexanderthegreatoz5945]

@@thelazy0ne obligation to jump head first into a shitpit on the basis of arming a non EU and non NATO nation?