Speech at the plenary debate on the deterioration of the refugee situation due to the Russian aggression against Ukraine
Madam President, my dear colleagues, there are at least three categories of refugees in this drama.
The first is, of course, the Ukrainian refugees, and we owe it to them to finally organise – and this should already have been done – the distribution between our 27 countries, because Poland and, tomorrow, Romania, cannot bear this burden alone.
The second group of refugees are Russian refugees who are fleeing their country, repression or the danger of conscription. We owe them just as much assistance, because they are extremely courageous. And let us remember that the credit card blockade has just made them beggars in their country of refuge. They are penniless; they are penniless, we have to worry about them. Then there is a third category of refugees, those who are lost in their own country. To these people we have to deliver food and medicine by air. The UN is offering to do this. The skies over Ukraine are under the control of the legitimate government of Ukraine. We must support the UN’s action at the request of the Ukrainian Government to airdrop food and medicine over Ukraine. This is an emergency and a principle.
