Speech by Maksym Kononenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Estonia

9. May 2025

Europe day seminar in Tallinn

Mr Permanent Secretary, Excellencies, dear friends,

It is a profound honour to speak today, here in Tallinn, a city that has seen both the darkest days of occupation and the triumph of freedom.

On this Europe Day, we are reminded that Europe is not just a continent – it is a shared destiny shaped by principles, courage, and memory.

I speak to you on behalf of a country at war. But I also speak to you on behalf of a country that is building – building institutions, rebuilding cities, and constructing a future in Europe.

The European Union was born out of a desire to make war unthinkable on this continent. Today, that dream is being tested again – in trenches, in blackouts, in the eyes of our children waking to air-raid sirens.

Yet, despite everything, Ukraine continues to move forward. And we do so with Europe as our compass.

Ukraine’s path toward the European Union is not a gesture of ambition – it is a matter of historical justice and moral clarity. For too long, Ukraine was considered a grey zone, a buffer, a country “in between”.

But there is no such thing as “in between” when it comes to values. Either you stand for freedom, or you don’t. Either you believe in dignity, or you allow it to be trampled. And we, Ukrainians, have made our choice.

European integration for us is not about changing who we are.

It is about becoming who we were always meant to be: a democratic, resilient, and free European nation.

A nation that shares not only trade with the EU, but responsibility.

A nation that contributes not only to security, but to the renewal of Europe itself.

Because Ukraine today is not only defending its own independence – it is defending the European project in its purest sense.

We are standing for borders that cannot be changed by force, for human rights that cannot be ignored in silence, for international law that cannot be rewritten by bombs.

Some may ask: can a country at war truly integrate with the EU?

But perhaps the better question is: can the EU remain whole and credible without those Europeans who fight for its values?

We are not naïve. We know that membership is a process. We know it requires reform, transformation, and deep alignment.

Since 2022, we have passed more reforms under fire than in many peaceful years before. We are doing the work.

Not because we want applause – but because we believe in the future we are building, and the standards it must rest on.

And let me be clear: we are not asking for shortcuts. We are asking for fairness. For a process that is merit-based, transparent, and honest.

And we are asking for political will – to match the historic moment in which we find ourselves.

President Lennart Meri once said that:

“Europe is about the unity of principles and adherence to principles.

It’s principles that mould geography: it’s not geography that moulds principles.”

Today, Ukraine stands as proof of those words.

We may lie east of many EU borders, but we are defined not by our geography, but by our fight – for principles that we share with you.

Dear friends, history is watching us.

Not as a silent observer, but as a judge.

Our children and yours will ask what we did when Europe was threatened. 

And I hope the answer will be: we stood together.

We moved forward.

And we built a Europe that lived up to its promises – not only in words, but in action.

Слава Україні!

Thank you.

Maksym Kononenko
Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Estonia