What Petras spoke about.

16 Sep

2026

EN Speech

Deteriorating situation of media freedom and freedom of expression in Hong Kong following the recent arrest of bookseller Leticia Wong and the convictions of Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung

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Madam President, by systematically violating the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which remains legally binding, the Chinese Government is suppressing the democratic rights promised to Hong Kong. The arrest of bookseller Leticia Wong and her husband on bogus charges of rebelling against the Government’s line and distributing books such as the autobiography of another political prisoner, Jimmy Lai, …

16 Sep

2026

EN Speech

Urgent need for EU support to Ukraine against Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression (debate)

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Mr President, High Representative, honourable colleagues, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine this past July was the highest since the start of the Russian aggression: 437 innocent children, women and men lost their lives. Only mobilised, sufficient and timely support for Ukraine from Europe and its allies can stop Russia's bloody aggression. Putin is escalating his war efforts, seeking t…

8 Jul

2026

EN Speech

2025 Commission report on Ukraine (A10-0172/2026 - Michael Gahler) (vote)

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Mr President, colleagues, let me move the following oral amendment: 'Welcomes the valuable talks between the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Poland and Ukraine, held in Warsaw on 3 July, which demonstrated the goodwill of both sides to resolve the existing tensions before they develop into a crisis; calls for an open and constructive dialogue between the Polish and Ukrainian authorities, historia…

7 Jul

2026

EN Speech

2025 Commission report on Ukraine (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, Ukraine's integration into the EU offers guarantees for its sovereignty and endurance. Ultimately, it would significantly reinforce Europe's security. It is a mutually beneficial win‑win situation. Negotiations on Ukraine's membership should begin as soon as possible, covering all six negotiation chapters and clusters, while maintaining high standards and en…

17 Jun

2026

EN Speech

Deteriorating situation of political prisoners in Belarus, in particular the case of Aliaksandra Pulinovich

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Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, Lukashenka is imprisoning teenagers for painting slogans such as 'death to the dictatorship' and 'long live Belarus'. 16-year-old Aliaksandra Pulinovich will face ten years in prison for this expression of art and opinion. Today, in Parliament, we welcomed Andrzej Poczobut, who has finally been released from prison. However, we must not forget that r…

17 Jun

2026

LT Speech

Protecting EU citizens’ data from hybrid threats: the Lithuanian case (topical debate)

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Mr Chair, Mr Commissioner, Council representative. 2026, beginning of 2026. And I will switch to my mother tongue. At the beginning of 2026, over six hundred thousand important personal data of Lithuanian residents, including people's personal codes, addresses and real estate records, were stolen through the institution Centre of Registers, which is responsible for the data register of residents a…

16 Jun

2026

LT Speech

Russia’s unacceptable provocative actions and drone incursions into Romania, the Baltic states and Finland (debate)

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15 Jun

2026

EN Speech

Order of business

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Madam President, it is about the recent crimes of aggression of Russia and a call for solidarity and support. Colleagues, the historical Ukrainian monastery complex on UNESCO World Heritage List, located in the very centre of Kyiv, Pechersk Lavra, was set on fire as a result of a massive Russian attack tonight. Russia launched against Ukraine more than 600 long‑range strike UAVs and 70 missiles la…

20 May

2026

EN Speech

Situation of women and girls in Afghanistan following the Taliban's adoption of the Criminal Procedure Code for Courts

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Mr President, Madam Commissioner, dear colleagues, just imagine a Taliban representative sitting in a meeting room in Brussels lecturing on human and women's rights. This is not fiction, but an arising reality. Clearly, inviting the Taliban to Brussels amounts to partial legitimisation and recognition of the terrorist group. This is an appalling act of injustice towards its victims and also a tota…

20 May

2026

EN Speech

Repression and execution of protesters, dissidents, political prisoners and religious minorities in Iran

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Mr President, Madam Commissioner, Council President, dear colleagues, the Iranian regime continues its ruthless and bloody crackdown on its perceived internal enemies – the political opposition and civil society – in an effort to cling on to power at any cost. The international community must respond promptly and appropriately to the regime’s crimes against humanity and political persecution, usin…

19 May

2026

EN Speech

Political repression and humanitarian situation in Cuba (debate)

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Madam President, High Representative, dear colleagues, the communist regime in Cuba proudly called the country the 'island of freedom'. But just look at what this communist Paradise has become: the persecution of dissidents and opposition figures, overflowing prisons filled with political prisoners, and a catastrophic social and humanitarian situation, with only 3 % of the population having full a…

19 May

2026

LT Speech

Europe's response to reduced US military deployments in Europe, particularly at its Eastern flank in the light of the latest US decisions (debate)

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Mr President, honourable High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, honourable colleagues. Although Europe has already made long-term commitments to increase its investment in security and defence, the US military presence in Europe has not become, and certainly will not become, excessive. The Kremlin's terrorist regime recognises and understands only one language, namely strength and st…

29 Apr

2026

LT Speech

Danger of normalising relations with Russia, including its participation in major cultural and sports events (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues. Using sport and culture, the terrorist Russia is seeking to further divide the international community. Russia desperately wants to return to the world's most important cultural and sporting events as soon as possible. Potiomkin's long-known strategy, in which the public is bewildered and attempts are made to present it with a false beautiful façade picture,…

28 Apr

2026

EN Speech

Ensuring accountability and justice in response to Russia’s continued attacks against the civilian population in Ukraine (debate)

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Madam President, Madam Minister, Commissioner, dear colleagues, today marks the 1 525th day since Russia began its full‑scale invasion of Ukraine. Every day is a reminder of the tens of thousands of lives lost and families torn apart by the abduction of children. It is also a reminder of the ruined cities and the irreplaceable historical and cultural treasures lost. After four years of war, our so…

10 Mar

2026

EN Speech

EU enlargement strategy (debate)

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Mr President, colleagues, dear Commissioner, I would like to really thank all my colleagues who have participated constructively in our joint work and in today's discussion. This approach is the way forward in finding the necessary solutions and preparing for EU enlargement. We must recognise that no effort is too great when it comes to informing and involving the public in broad discussions about…

10 Mar

2026

EN Speech

EU enlargement strategy (debate)

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Mr President, dear Marta, dear Commissioner, colleagues, history has proved that European unification, which is so necessary today, has been firmly based on EU enlargement. Each stage of EU enlargement has positively contributed to Europe's growth in political and economic power, promoting the prosperity and security of all EU Member States and the EU in general, not to speak about their citizens.…

24 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Four years of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and European contributions to a just peace and sustained security for Ukraine (RC-B10-0143/2026, B10-0143/2026, B10-0144/2026, B10-0145/2026, B10-0146/2026, B10-0147/2026, B10-0148/2026, B10-0149/2026) (vote)

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Madam President, colleagues, I wish to make a proposal to extend paragraph 11 with the following amendment: 'Strongly deplores the Hungarian Government's continued obstruction of EU support for Ukraine, as well as the Slovak Government's announced decision to cut off emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine.'…

24 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Four years of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and European contributions to a just peace and sustained security for Ukraine (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioners, colleagues, the brutal war that Russia launched against Ukraine has been going on for 12 years – spanning a third term of the European Parliament. In its failed attempt to seize Ukraine in three days, Russia suffered a historic defeat: Ukraine stood firm, turned decisively towards the West, and in doing so transformed not only itself, but Europe as well – profoundly…

11 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Targeted expulsions of foreign journalists and foreign Christians in Türkiye under national security pretexts

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Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, Türkiye remains an important partner of the European Union and a candidate country, even though negotiations and integration have been suspended. Nevertheless, Türkiye must adhere to the fundamental principles enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights, which guarantees the rights of journalists and religious communities. Türkiye has yet to im…

11 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Systemic oppression, inhumane conditions and arbitrary detentions by the regime in Iran

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Mr President, the radical mullahs' regime in Iran continues to oppress its own citizens, creating unbearable living conditions and spreading violence. The regime is guilty of ruthless discrimination against women, the systematic persecution of religious communities, restrictions on freedom of speech and access to the internet, torture, and the widespread use of the death penalty. These are Tehran'…

10 Feb

2026

EN Speech

European response to the attacks on the Ukrainian energy system causing a humanitarian crisis (debate)

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Mr President, Madam Commissioner, dear colleagues, realising it would not be able to break the spirits of the Ukrainian people with weapons, Russia resorted to tormenting them with cold and darkness. By destroying Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Russia is committing crimes equivalent to genocide and crimes against humanity, which must be judged by the Special Tribunal. In recent months, the Kyiv,…

10 Feb

2026

LT Speech

Building a stronger European defence in light of an increasingly volatile international environment (debate)

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9 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Order of business

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Madam President, colleagues, attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure by Russia constitute not only a violation of international law, but a deliberate strategy to undermine civilian resilience, destabilise the region and weaponise energy as a tool of coercion. These continuous attacks, at a time when Ukrainian and Russian delegations are meeting to talk peace possibilities, clearly show that Rus…

22 Jan

2026

EN Speech

Joint action addressing the increased use of death penalty (debate)

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Madam President, Madam Commissioner, honourable colleagues, as a Member who works extensively on Ukraine, nothing matters more to me than ensuring that those responsible for genocide against the Ukrainian people – including Ukrainian children – are held accountable. That is why I strongly support the work of the International Criminal Court and the establishment of a special tribunal on this issue…

21 Jan

2026

LT Answer

Attempted takeover of Lithuania’s public broadcaster and the threat to democracy in Lithuania (debate)

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Mr. Gražuli, do not confuse the European Parliament, the Lithuanian public broadcaster. You are able to engage demagogically in unnecessary and meaningless discussions. You are already an unbeatable master. What the governors do in Lithuania with the public broadcaster, I think we all see, independent experts confirm. Therefore, if you have brilliant suggestions on how to change the procedures of …