PE792A: FDC Banksy WAR UKRAINE - Speech by ZELENSKY European Parliament 02-2023

President Zelenskyy says Russia is a grave threat to the European way of life

On Thursday 9 February 2023, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the European Parliament during an extraordinary plenary session in Brussels.

Opening the session, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said to President Zelenskyy: “We understand that you are fighting not only for your values, but for ours.”

“Ukraine is Europe and your nation’s future is in the European Union”, President Metsola continued, adding that the EU should give Ukraine the “fastest possible accession process” and, “as a next step, provide the long-range systems and the jets needed to protect the liberty too many have taken for granted.”

In his address to MEPs, President Zelenskyy stressed how Russia is trying to annihilate not only sovereign Ukraine, but also the European “way of life”. He outlined how he sees Europe as a continent steeped in rules, values, equality and fairness, and (...) a place where Ukraine is firmly at home. The Kremlin, on the other hand, is doing its utmost to destroy European values, President Zelenskyy said, stressing how Ukraine is fighting for and protecting Europe from this anti-European force.

He thanked all Europeans who have supported Ukraine in the fight against the Russian invader and all those who have helped Ukrainian refugees arriving in the EU. Looking ahead, President Zelenskyy called on Europe and Ukraine to walk together and define a common European future. However, he underlined that, for our dreams for our children and grandchildren to come true, we need peace and security. These dreams will not be possible if we do not overcome this anti-European force trying to steal our Europe from us, he concluded.

This was President Zelenskyy’s first official visit to the European Parliament, after having addressed MEPs remotely during an extraordinary session on 1 March 2022, shortly after Russia started its war against Ukraine. He also spoke before plenary on 14 December the same year, when Parliament’s 2022 Sakharov Prize was awarded to the brave people of Ukraine.

Source : https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20230208IPR72901/president-zelenskyy-says-russia-is-a-grave-threat-to-the-european-way-of-life

A work by BANKSY reproduced on a Ukrainian postage stamp

The Ukrainian Post issued this Friday, February 24, 2023, a stamp reproducing a work by British graffiti artist Banksy, in which a young judoka knocks down an adult man.

An allegory of Ukraine defeating Russia, painted on a ruined building near Kyiv. The phrase "ПТН ПНХ! (FCK PTN)" (Fuck Putin) has been added to the lower left part of the new stamp, which reproduces the artist's work.

A long line of philatelists crowded Friday morning outside the main post office in Kyiv. The stamp, issued in only 250,000 blocks of 6 values, was sold out in a few hours!

First anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine (February 24, 2022/2023)

On February 24, 2022, at about four in the morning Kyiv time, the president of the russian federation announced a """"special military operation"""" in Ukraine, after which russian troops launched missile strikes throughout Ukraine and launched a full-scale military offensive. 

For Ukrainians, 2022 was a year of national unity, a year of courage and victory, a year of endurance and self-sacrifice. The Ukrainian people impressed the world and were awarded prestigious international honors: Charlemagne Prize (for defending European values), Andrii Sakharov Prize (for freedom of thought), The Atlantic Council Award (for outstanding leadership), The Casimir Pulaski Foundation Award (Knight of Freedom), etc.

The postage stamp, issued on the anniversary of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, presents one of the seven graffiti of the British artist Banksy, created by him in Ukraine in 2022. The graffiti with a judoka who has been sent to the knockout stage was painted by the artist on the wall of a destroyed house in the village of Borodyanka (Kyiv region). © Banksy, 2022.

A philatelic envelope, designed by Historiaphil© (Philately Kiosk of the European Parliament, Strasbourg, France) commemorates President Zelenskyy's speech in front of the European Parliament and the stamp issued for the 1st anniversary of Russian's invasion of Ukraine. It was produced as a continuation of the collection of philatelic envelopes bearing witness since 1949 to the history of Europe and its institutions. Its edition is limited to only 50 numbered copies.