What Rasa spoke about.

8

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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The democratic backsliding and threats to political pluralism in Georgia (debate)

Mr President, first of all, many thanks to the colleagues from other groups with whom we agreed a strong resolution on Georgia this morning. The European Parliament sends a very clear message to Bidzina Ivanishvili and his collaborators from the Georgian Dream: membership in the EU is incompatible with their politics. You cannot be pro-European and pro-Kremlin at the same time. You cannot support …

8

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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Strengthening Moldova's resilience against Russian interference ahead of the upcoming presidential elections and a constitutional referendum on EU integration (debate)

Mr President, colleagues, the upcoming election in Moldova is like the final battle for Putin. The Kremlin is openly paying voters in Moldova, trying to block the country from its future success. The biggest nightmare for Putin's Russia is the European future of neighbouring countries. He fears that if Ukraine becomes successful and if Moldova and Georgia follow the European way of life, Russians …

16

Sep

2024

EN Speech

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Announcement by the President – Election of the European Ombudsman

Madam President, dear colleagues, 85 years ago, the Ribbentrop‑Molotov pact was signed and Nazi Germany and the Communist USSR agreed to divide Europe. They both started the bloodiest World War Two. Unfortunately, this is not yet history: Russia's war of aggression today is a direct continuation of the war 85 years ago. Germany has passed the test of history; the crimes of the Nazis have been cond…

24

Apr

2024

EN Speech

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Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel, the need for de-escalation and an EU response (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, a few more general remarks. Why did Iran dare to attack Israel directly for the first time in history? I see two reasons: the first is deteriorating situation in Ukraine on the Eastern front and Russia’s factor, the second is the lack of political will and leadership on the Western front, Washington, DC, including. In the eyes of the terrorist alliance of dictators, …

10

Apr

2024

EN Speech

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Russia's undemocratic presidential elections and their illegitimate extension to the occupied territories (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, Putin is an illegitimate president. I call on the leaders of the democratic world not to call Putin president, because he is certainly not one now. First of all, because this electoral operation took place in the occupied territories of Ukraine. There have been no democratic elections in Russia for a long time. It was a psychological KGB-type operation against its…

13

Mar

2024

EN Speech

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Need to address the urgent concerns surrounding Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, dear brave Ukrainian girl, Valeriia, to date, around 20 000 Ukrainian children have been stolen from their homeland and deported to Russia, with only 400 having been returned. Since 2014, estimates suggest the number of these forcibly displaced children could be as high as 700 000. Many of these children are orphans or kids without parental care. Deportation – a w…

28

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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The murder of Alexei Navalny and the need for EU action in support of political prisoners and oppressed civil society in Russia (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, freedom comes at a high price. These are the words of Boris Nemtsov, murdered nine years ago. They were echoed by Alexei Navalny. Today, freedom is costing the most for the Ukrainian people. Putin is trying to kill hope that Russia can be different in every way he can. Putin has used Alexei’s body to mock and bully. He mocked his extremely strong mother, Lyudmila Nav…

28

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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Strengthening European Defence in a volatile geopolitical landscape - Implementation of the common foreign and security policy – annual report 2023 - Implementation of the common security and defence policy – annual report 2023 (joint debate - European security and defence)

Mr President, first, my congratulations to Sweden. Now, we will be much stronger together, but we must realise that the war started by Russia is not a short-term crisis. Putin started this war thinking that democracies in general would not be able to withstand it. But we must be able to withstand. We need a clear plan to help Ukraine to win. We need a consensus that each State allocates at least 0…

27

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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Closer ties between the EU and Armenia and the need for a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia (debate)

Mr President, Armenia, one of the first countries in Europe to officially recognise Christianity, is turning back to its roots. A nation that has suffered genocide and lost many of its territories and people. Now wants a peaceful life and says Europe is their home. Today I heard the Kremlin’s disinformation channels aggressively attacking Prime Minister Pashinyan and referring to Armenian territor…

6

Feb

2024

LT Speech

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Russiagate: allegations of Russian interference in the democratic processes of the European Union (debate)

Dear colleagues, never call Tatyana Ždanoka a Latvian MEP. She is the Kremlin's representative here. Sadly. The Latvians, my sisters and brothers, are an honourable people of Europe, and Ždanoka is a creation of the Soviet Russification and KGB regime. Unfortunately, the European Parliament and the Greens have paid millions of euros since 2004 for the Kremlin's representative to act as an agent of…

6

Feb

2024

EN Speech

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The need for unwavering EU support for Ukraine, after two years of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, first of all, thank you for your strong leadership. Ukraine has shown a miracle. Let’s remember the first weeks. How many here believed that Ukraine would stop the Russians at Kyiv? Two years of this war have also shown a miracle of European unity. We know what we have already done by standing together. Today, we have to talk and agree on what is needed to win this war. First of all,…

16

Jan

2024

EN Speech

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Keeping commitments and delivering military assistance to Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, wow. How active Putin’s proxies have become here! Something new. While it is clear that the EU has already supported Ukraine beyond anyone’s expectations, today, every day of our delay costs Ukrainian blood. A Ukrainian defeat would cost infinitely more than the money needed for a Ukrainian victory. Orbán is blocking EUR 50 billion for Ukraine. The EU as a whole has spent for Ukraine…

13

Dec

2023

EN Speech

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Preparation of the European Council meeting of 14-15 December 2023 (debate)

Madam President, everyone says that this week is about Ukraine. Yes, but it is actually even more about us – the European Union. At every single meeting, my Lithuanian constituents ask me the same question: What happened to the Hungarians? Who is Orban working for? Putin? And why is the EU doing nothing to stop him? Can you not see how the EU is being destroyed from within? ‘We do see”, I say. Unf…

22

Nov

2023

EN Speech

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Humanitarian situation in Gaza, the need for the release of hostages and for an immediate humanitarian truce leading to a ceasefire and the prospects for peace and security in the Middle East (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, I have the feeling that we see the world too simplistically when we divide ourselves into either pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian, and when many are repeating ‘two-state solution’. But this mantra will not work unless there is a fundamental agreement among Israel’s neighbours that Hamas must not happen again, that the Jewish state has the right to exist. I was shocked w…

9

Nov

2023

EN Speech

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Outcome of the EU-US summit (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, today, more than ever, Europe and the United States share a common mission. Together, we need to overcome the axis of evil that has already caused two wars in our neighbourhood. This axis of evil, with terrorists Russia and Iran at its core, seeks to destroy democracies and take away people’s freedoms. The EU and the US are capable of acting together strategically. W…

8

Nov

2023

EN Speech

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EU enlargement policy 2023 (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, yes, it is a historic day, even if this decision comes late. The stagnation of both EU and NATO enlargements has left many countries in a grey zone, tempting authoritarians. But we can determine the future with our decisions today. The EU is finally returning to geopolitical leadership. My special congratulations go to Ukraine, Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina. …

18

Oct

2023

EN Speech

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The despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law and the humanitarian situation in Gaza (debate)

Mr President, let me start by paying respect to brave leaders. Two presidents: Roberta Metsola and Ursula von der Leyen. I am proud. Many in this chamber agree that we must be united and agree that we have to destroy Hamas as al-Qaeda or ISIS, and we must be united in helping Israel to do it. The destruction of Hamas would free Israel and Palestinians from suffering. We hear slogans ‘Free Palestin…

4

Oct

2023

LT Speech

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Need for a speedy adoption of the asylum and migration package (debate)

Mr President, we cannot ignore the new form of hybrid warfare, instrumentalised migration, where dictators use migration as a weapon. We must make this clear in the documents of the European Union. States bordering unpredictable regimes such as Belarus and Russia must have the means to respond effectively to the instrumentalisation of migrants. On the same occasion, I would like to thank the Commi…

3

Oct

2023

EN Speech

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Taking stock of Moldova's path to the EU (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, Moldova always was Europe and Moldova belongs in Europe. I trust that the Commission will propose to start accession negotiations. Thanks to the leadership of President Maia Sandu and the current Government, Moldova has proved that it is a resilient democracy. Despite Russian interference and attempts at destabilisation, Moldova is making significant progress on the …

3

Oct

2023

EN Speech

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Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan’s attack and the continuing threats against Armenia (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, Armenians are facing a humanitarian crisis. The EU must help Armenia to take care of its people. The EU must also be prepared to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan if its military moves into Armenia’s territory. The EU can help set up the Nakhchivan transit scheme, building on the good practice of the Kaliningrad transit. But Armenians also must learn to live in a new…

13

Sep

2023

EN Speech

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State of the Union (debate)

Madam President, thank you President for your strong leadership. I have a very realistic dream. We must achieve the EU enlargement no later than 2030. For this, it is necessary to invite Ukraine and Moldova for negotiations already this year. There has never been in history such a case: a nation fighting horrific military war carries out reforms and strengthens democracy all at the same time. The …

12

Sep

2023

EN Speech

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Relations with Belarus (debate)

Madam President, Lithuania has the longest border with Belarus and we constantly live under Putin’s puppet Lukashenka’s provocations. But we strongly believe in Belarus’s European and democratic future. We have experienced Lukashenka’s weaponised migration attacks, the hijacking of an aircraft, the deployment of nuclear weapons, the arrival of the terrorist Wagner group, constant threats and black…

13

Jun

2023

EN Speech

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Humanitarian and environmental consequences of the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam - Sustainable reconstruction and integration of Ukraine into the Euro-Atlantic community (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, thank you for your personal involvement in saving Ukraine. Let me continue from where you left off. After Nova Kakhovka, it should be obvious to all that we must stop the terrorist Putin regime. And we must take bold steps that are needed to ensure sustainable peace in Europe for generations to come. This requires even more courage …

19

Apr

2023

EN Speech

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Children forcibly deported from Ukraine and the ICC arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, the horrifying crimes the Russian regime is committing in Ukraine are not new. This is history repeating itself once again. My mother was nine years old when Stalin’s communists deported her and her family to Siberia, just because her parents were teachers. Only half the family returned. She could not have imagined that the deportations would return to the European c…

18

Apr

2023

EN Speech

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The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, although we are late, we are finally getting to the point. The pandemic has woken Europe up and the Russian war has opened our eyes. We need for a strategy towards China. The right strategy requires the right assessment of the situation, and we got it from both key speakers today. Thank you. Russia and China have the same goal: to destroy the development of the democ…