Dear Mr. President Steinmeier,
Dear Dr. Zinkann,
Dear participants, and friends,
It is an honor to stand here in the city of Münster. A city that, centuries ago, marked the end of a devastating war. A city that stands as a symbol of peace.
But today, peace is under attack. Freedom is under siege. The future of Europe is at stake.
War has returned to our continent. Ukraine bleeds, Belarus suffers, and all of Europe feels the shockwaves.
This war takes different forms in each country. In Ukraine, Russia wages it with tanks and rockets—taking the lives of children and the elderly.
In Belarus, it is a creeping occupation: crushing our society, erasing our identity, language, and culture. Everything that ties us to Europe.
In other countries, it infiltrates institutions, rigs elections, and wages informational warfare—trying to paralyze societies and erode our core values.
Russia counts on the free world to get tired, to retreat. But what Europe faces today is not something new. It’s the past — a dark past—trying to take its revenge.
Belarus
For almost five years, Belarusians have lived in terror—the kind Europe hasn’t witnessed since the Second World War and Stalin’s times.
Every single day, 10 to 15 people are detained. Thousands are behind bars. Dozens have simply disappeared. I haven’t heard from my husband for two years. I don’t even know if he is alive.
The dictator is still taking revenge for our peaceful uprising, and acting as if thousands of people are protesting near his palace.
He clings to power, trading our sovereignty to Putin in exchange for political support.
Nine million Belarusians are held hostage—trapped in the shadow of an empire that tramples our rights and denies our independence.
Belarus is a perfect example of how security and democracy are intertwined: if the government doesn’t respect its own people, it won’t respect neighbors either.
It was Belarus where the Russian war against Ukraine began. Sometimes I think—if we had won in 2020, history might have taken a very different path.
Yet despite the terror, Belarusians do not give up. The resistance went underground. Many went to fight for Ukraine as volunteers, because the fates of Belarus and Ukraine are intertwined.
In exile, we have formed alternative institutions of power—the United Transitional Cabinet and the Coordination Council, representing Belarusian society and defending its interests.
We don’t know exactly when or how change will come, when the next window of opportunity will open. And we must be prepared.
What dictators want
When I say we – I mean all of us. Because it’s not only about Belarus, or Ukraine, or Georgia. It’s about the future of Europe — one that is peaceful, united, and free from tyranny.
Today, we face a common enemy—an evil that threatens not only our countries, but the very soul of Europe.
As dictators unite, we must be strong and united too. Because tyrannies thrive on division. They aim to shatter our unity, doubt our values, and destroy the international order.
We must stand firm. Any hesitation—dictators see as weakness. I am always astonished when, after every election cycle, some politicians suggest repeating the same mistakes— suggesting to return to “business as usual”.
Dictators know how to flatter, make promises, and justify their cruelest crimes. Just like the terror in Belarus, carried out under the pretext of “protecting peace and stability.”
It’s hard to believe when I hear that Putin or Lukashenka want peace. They don’t. Because war fuels their regimes—it justifies their terror against their own people.
We haven’t learned the simple lesson yet: Dictators cannot be appeased. They can’t be reeducated. They must be fought.
And democracies must show their teeth. I’m not just talking about military power. Military efforts alone are meaningless without societies ready to defend their freedom. That’s why investing in people is crucial.
Democracies won the Cold War thanks to courage, consistency, and soft power. Thanks to brave activists and dissidents supported by the free world. Thanks to independent voices like Radio Free Europe, broadcasting from Munich.
That’s why supporting independent media and voices of resistance is so vital. Just as Germany does with Deutsche Welle, giving a platform to Belarusian journalists, or rehabilitating hundreds of former political prisoners from Belarus.
Our vision is simple: European Belarus. For us, the EU is like West Berlin once was for the DDR—a beacon of hope and freedom.
Belarusians, Ukrainians, Moldovans, Armenians, Georgians—we all want to know that the EU’s door will be open to us when the time comes.
Our nations, shaped by years of Soviet occupation, long for peace and freedom more than anyone.
We must see Europe as a space of common values. We must promote those values and keep people-to-people ties strong. Issue visas, provide scholarships. Prepare our nation for the inevitable change.
We must not let dictators build a new Iron Curtain — Belarus must not be left behind. Don’t let Russia cement its grip on Belarus for generations.
As President Zelensky said in Munich: Europe’s Eastern border is the Eastern border of Belarus and Ukraine.
And we must remember this — especially now, as Putin tries to restore spheres of influence and divide our continent again.
Yes, Europe needs to be protected. And you can count on Belarusians. This is our Europe too. This is our shared home.
Who wants peace?
Dear friends,
No one wants peace more than Ukrainians or Belarusians. But peace cannot be built on submission.
Peace is not just the absence of war. Peace also means justice. When people are not thrown behind bars. When nations are not threatened for choosing their own path.
For me, peace will come when Russia not only leaves Ukraine but also leaves Belarus alone.
When Belarusians can choose their future without looking at the “bigger brother” from the East.
When dictatorship is dismantled, and thousands of families are reunited.
When we no longer wake up every morning checking the lists of detainees.
For me, peace will come when my children can finally hug my husband.
Peace and love — that was the driving force of our movement. It’s what makes us different from dictators.
In contrast to them, we cherish everyone’s freedom and put human life above all.
Germany
Dear excellencies,
I am glad to see so many German friends in the room. German people know all too well the price of freedom: How easy to lose it, and how difficult to get it back.
Germany not only overcame its tyranny but became a beacon of hope—a defender of European values.
Your journey from division to unity is inspiring. You overcame tyranny. You proved that even the strongest walls can fall. That no dictatorship lasts forever. Tyrannies may seem invincible—until they suddenly collapse.
And you also know that no fight for freedom can be won alone. It always needs allies.
Today, Belarusians and Ukrainians look at you. We need your strength. Your leadership. And your solidarity.
Germany has long supported the Belarusian democratic movement, and now – Germany is a leading supporter of Ukraine.
See this support not as charity, but as an investment. In your own security. In your own democracy. And obviously, in a peaceful Europe.
Westfalian peace and End
The Westphalian Peace we celebrate today – laid the foundations of modern Europe: we are all different, but we respect each other and share common values.
Let’s defend these values. Let’s defend peace, our unity and our diversity.
Let’s stand with those who refuse to surrender. Let’s prove that freedom is stronger than fear.
Жыве Беларусь! Slava Ukraini! Long Live Europe!
