Speech by President von der Leyen at the handover event on the delivery of buses
European Commission
Speech
4 November 2023
Kyiv
Dear First Lady,
Dear Olena,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
What a pleasure to be here with you today. Indeed, Ukraine is still going through very dark times, more than 600 days since the start of this brutal war that Russia unleashed against Ukraine. But today is about hope. Today is about the future. Today is about the children.
Indeed, I remember very well, a year ago, when we met in Strasbourg, dear Olena, you asked me to help to alleviate the plight of Ukrainian children, whose schools had been destroyed by Russian bombs. And with their schools gone, their world crumbled. And I knew indeed that the European Union had to do something about it and help these children go to other schools, so they could continue learning and playing, and they could continue being children even in these difficult times. So, we had discussed: Why not call on the solidarity of our Member States, and our regions, cities and companies? The response was overwhelming. I was certain that they would respond, but it was amazing to see how fast and how jubilant they were to respond immediately.
A year on now, here we are. The 'School Buses for Ukraine' campaign is a big success. Local authorities and companies from everywhere in our Union donated 271 buses. We, as you have seen in the little video, the European Commission, took care of bringing them to Ukraine and we bought another 100 school buses. So altogether, today, we are at 371 school buses to take the children of Ukraine to school, safely. The Russian war may have robbed them of the innocence of childhood, but it will not deprive the children of a bright and happy future they deserve. I thank each and everyone here in the room who contributed to this success. The future should start here today, with all of you. And I thank you very much for your contribution. This is a very special day.
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