Martin Schulz's Speech at the Yalta European Strategy - YES conference

Honourable President Poroshenko i, Honourable President Ilves, Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honour for me to open the 11th Yalta European Strategy Meeting and I am grateful to be with you today, at this crucial moment for the Ukrainian people.

Upon arrival yesterday evening I visited the memorial in Institutska street to honour the people who were killed during the Maidan revolution. Normal people - students, engineers, painters - who went out on the streets because they wanted to live in a society that is free and democratic; Courageous people who stood up and demanded free elections; Brave people who gave their life so that others would have the right to live as they choose.

When I was laying the flowers at the memorial it struck me how much our world has changed in the last year. One year ago, I could not have imagined that in the autumn of 2014, Twenty five years after the fall of the Iron Curtain; Twenty five years after the people in your country President Ilves, in Estonia and other Baltic countries, united in a singing revolution; that twenty five years after the end of the Cold War, the fear of war could return to Europe and that principles we have come to accept as self-evident could be put into question again;

Never could I have imagined that people in Europe would be denied to decide on their own destiny; that borders in Europe could again be redrawn by force; that the architecture of peace we had built together after the Cold War could come under attack. And that the maxim "might makes right" could again take precedence over the rule of law. What happens in Ukraine concerns all Europeans.

Not only because we feel for the plight of the Ukrainian people, with the families of the victims killed on Maidan, in Eastern Ukraine and on Malaysian Airlines Flight MH seventeen, with the two hundred and sixty thousand people displaced inside Ukraine and the hundreds of thousands that have fled across the Russian border.

What happens in Ukraine concerns all Europeans, because we cannot stand by and watch idly while the founding principles of the international community are being violated. We have agreed on rules for states to follow when dealing with each other. These rules apply to all.

We cannot accept that bigger countries bully smaller ones to get their way, that rules of international law apply to some but not all. In fact, what we have been witnessing during the last six months is the ideological battle between two worlds: one representing the ideals we all treasure, such as democracy, rule of law, individual rights and human dignity; the other, based on fear, intimidation and the oppression of individual freedom.

Of course, we can and should try to understand Russia's motives, the reasons why Russia is acting the way it is acting. Without the sincere effort by all sides to understand the other, no dialogue can ever bear fruit. I fear many of us are at a loss to understand the strategy of Russia or its clear motivation. Whatever the motivation, we cannot and we will not accept Russia's acts.

The European Union rightly condemned the annexation of Crimea as a violation of international law. And the European Parliament has continuously urged Russia to stop all hostilities, to stop the flow of arms, equipment and personnel into the region, and to withdraw its troops from Ukraine without delay. Let me add, Russia also has to stop its continuous provocations, attempts at intimidation, incursions and violations of the territorial integrity of EU countries. One of the most recent examples is the abduction of Estonian security official Kohver on EU territory.

Only this week the EU has agreed on tougher sanctions. And rightly so.

But, ladies and gentlemen, where do we go from here? What do we do now? I believe we have to face some facts.

First, there is no military solution to the crisis. All sides are well advised to restrain themselves and abstain from warmongering and inflammatory rhetoric. History teaches us that too often conjured-up spirits can easily run out of control. In the words of Martin Luther King, "the old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind". Thus, all parties and the international community must do everything in their power to prevent the situation from spiraling completely out of control. There is only one solution and that is a political solution in full respect of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Second, like it or not, there will be no political solution without Russia. We have no choice but to keep on talking to Russia while making it very clear that there will be no return to "business as usual" with Moscow before a sustainable solution to the crisis is found. The trilateral talk on trade and gas is one important channel of communication; also to ensure that we have no bad surprises this winter.

The sanctions the EU agreed on the eighth of September and coming into force today give a clear signal: We Europeans are united on this and we are serious about this.

We are so serious about this that we are even willing to accept the negative consequences of sanctions for our own economy. I am convinced that it was a wise decision by our foreign ministers to decide on sanctions but to put them on hold until today to allow the ceasefire agreed in Minsk last Friday to be implemented.

We welcome the ceasefire hoping that it will create the space for a political settlement. And I can only commend you, President Poroshenko, for your resolve to do everything to end this conflict.

Let's hope that all parties are fully sincere and that words do translate into actions. For the moment, there is reason to be cautiously optimistic: It has been widely reported that Russia started withdrawing its troops from Eastern Ukraine. A large number of captured Ukrainian servicemen have been freed. It would be an encouraging sign if Russia would now use its influence on the rebels to force them to lay down their weapons. Even more so, because these rebels continue to shell Ukrainian troops and residential areas.

As a powerful player and Security Council member Russia has a key role and responsibility in de-escalating this crisis and ensuring that international law is again respected.

Third, the European Union is in to support Ukraine for the long-run. I have made Kyiv my first destination and my first official visit in my second mandate as President of the European Parliament, to show our solidarity with the Ukrainian people. The European Parliament stands by your side in this difficult time. As we have done in the past.

During my first mandate I launched a special mediation mission headed by Presidents Pat Cox i and Alexander Kwasniewski, who are here with us today, and I can only pay tribute to their stamina and dedication. They went to Ukraine on 27 missions involving 150 working days, spending more time with each other than their wives. Their rich experience and deep expertise they have acquired could prove invaluable to Ukraine in the future as well.

It is thanks to them and the relentless work of many others, including Commissioner Füle i here today, that the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine was finally signed on 27 of June in Brussels. And as I agreed with President Poroshenko, the agreement will be ratified simultaneously in the European Parliament in Strasbourg and in the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv next Tuesday - a strong symbol to the world that we stand united.

We are convinced that the agreement will provide impetus for political and economic reform and lead to further modernisation and stronger economic growth in your country.

Our words are followed by deeds: The Commission has already earmarked eleven billion Euros to help stabilize Ukraine, close the widening social gaps and re-start the economy. But this support does not come unconditionally - it is based on the expectation that Ukraine continues on the path of reform it has embarked on so courageously: strengthening the rule of law; reforming electoral law; engaging in comprehensive constitutional reform; eliminating endemic corruption; and guaranteeing human rights and minority rights.

In Europe we believe that diversity is our wealth. That diversity, be it cultural, religious or linguistic, should not only be protected but also nurtured. We expect the next parliamentary elections on 26 of October to be as fair and free as were the last Presidential elections in May. The European Parliament is committed to send an election observation mission and to upgrade our relations with the new Rada once the Association Agreement is ratified.

Ladies and gentlemen,

the peaceful revolution which started on the Maidan will only be finished when the demands of the Ukrainian people have been heard and this ambitious reform programme has been accomplished. Current Ukrainian leaders cannot afford to fail in this task and to waste this historic opportunity.

With all my heart I wish the Ukrainian people to succeed.

Thank you very much for your attention.