Speech by Maria Malmer Stenergard at the Fourth Parlimentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform
Government Offices of Sweden
Speech by Maria Malmer Stenergard
Published 24 November 2025
Speech by Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard at the Fourth Parlimentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform. 24 November 2025, Stockholm.
Check against delivery.
Honourable Speakers, Excellencies, Distinguished guests, it is an honour to address this summit.
First, let me say a few words about the intense diplomacy that we've seen in the last couple of days.
Ukraine has always shown that it is serious about achieving a just and lasting peace. Russia has not.
Ukraine has offered a full, unconditional ceasefire. Russia has not.
Ukraine has always been ready to negotiate. Russia has not.
Since Russia has not changed its position, neither has Sweden nor the EU.
Our position remains that to achieve a just and lasting peace, borders cannot be changed by force.
There cannot be limitations on Ukraine's armed forces that will invite further Russian aggression.
And there cannot be any limitations on the full, sovereign right of the Ukrainian people to choose their own path - which includes the path to EU membership.
An agreement that includes those main elements, that truly respects Ukraine's sovereignty, and that has the support of its people - such an agreement will also have our support.
But as long as the Russian aggression continues, Sweden has a clear two-point plan: to strengthen Ukraine and to weaken Russia. You can count on our support.
***
Let me also acknowledge that World Children's Day took place last week.
That made me think of the thousands of Ukrainian children that Russia has forcibly taken away from their homes.
That made me think of Sashko from Mariupol, who was separated from his mother - never to see her again.
That made me think of Yehven, a father who was detained while his children were sent to a Moscow boarding facility.
As a mother, I cannot even begin to imagine the horror of taking children away from their homes, putting them into camps, and indoctrinating them.
We cannot bring back the children who have already lost their lives in this war. But we can - and we must - do even more to bring all the deported Ukrainian children home.
***
This summit also allows us to once again establish some basic facts. Crimea is Ukraine. Donetsk is Ukraine. Luhansk is Ukraine. Kherson is Ukraine. Zaporizhzhia is Ukraine.
Let me be clear: Sweden will not recognise Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, or any other part of Ukraine's territory. We will not reward aggression.
We owe this to the Ukrainian people, especially those in the temporarily occupied territories. We owe this to the women and the men who bravely fight for their freedom - and for ours. We owe this to every person in Ukraine and beyond who believes in a world governed by rules, rather than force.
***
What we know about life under Russian occupation also shows why our support for a free and independent Ukraine must continue.
Because in the occupied territories, journalists are silenced. Families are separated. Children grow up under relentless propaganda. Crimean Tatars face harassment and imprisonment for speaking their language or for practicing their faith. Intimidation, fear, repression - this is life in the occupied territories.
***
Russia's war of aggression causes immense human suffering. Those responsible must be held to account. To secure justice for the victims, and to deter potential perpetrators in the future.
Since 2014, Sweden supports investigations and the documentation of suspected war crimes in Ukraine. We commend the work done by Ukrainian authorities and international mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, the UN, the OSCE, and civil society organizations. Their efforts are crucial to end impunity.
This year, we have seen important landmarks for accountability.
In November, a court in Ukraine convicted a Russian soldier for murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment in Ukraine. This was the first ruling of its kind since Russia began its full-scale invasion.
The Swedish Government also strongly welcomes the progress that has been made towards establishing a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, and a claims commission for reparations. They must now begin their work as soon as possible.
***
As Russia's brutal war of aggression enters its fourth winter, I am urging international partners to help strengthen Ukraine by providing substantial military and civilian support.
Last week at the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, I showed my colleagues a simple graph that showed how the EU's support to Ukraine is still smaller than the collective purchases of Russian oil and gas since the full-scale invasion.
This is nothing but a disgrace. This needs to change now.
The best way to fund Ukraine's needs now is to move forward with the reparations loan.
As the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said in her State of the Union speech earlier this year: "This is Russia's war, and Russia should be the one to pay."
Once again, let me assure you: Sweden will continue to stand with Ukraine, with those who uphold international law, and with those who seek a just and lasting peace.
Thank you, and Slava Ukraini.
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