February 24, 2022 - Four Years Later: Freedom is Not a Given
On February 24, 2022, Russia began its large-scale attack on Ukraine. What many had long refused to acknowledge became brutal reality: An imperial war in the middle of Europe - conducted with the declared intention of subjugating a sovereign country, erasing its identity, and destroying its future.
Four years later, this war continues. Cities like Mariupol, Bucha, Irpin, or Izyum stand as names for crimes, suffering, and loss - and at the same time for the unyielding resistance of a people who refuse to be subdued. Particularly heartbreaking remains the fate of children: abductions, re-education, the attempt to erase language, names, and heritage. This is not a side effect of this war. It is part of a system.
And yet Ukraine stands. Because soldiers, volunteers, doctors, teachers, IT specialists, musicians, journalists, and many other ordinary people have taken responsibility. Many of them were civilians before 2022. Today they defend their country - and thus the fundamental principles of a European peace order that is based on law and not on violence.
Recent debates at the Munich Security Conference have also shown: Ukraine is not "a conflict on the edge of Europe," but a key issue of European security. Those who speak of peace must talk about deterrence, protection of civilians, consistent sanctions - and about concrete support. Peace does not arise from turning a blind eye, but from steadfastness.
This war does not only affect Ukraine. It is an attack on the conviction that borders in Europe cannot be shifted with tanks. It is an attack on the idea that peoples can freely decide their own path.
Without a free Ukraine, there will be no permanently free Europe.
That is why we thank all those who have shown commitment for four years: the dedicated Ukrainians in Germany who tirelessly organize aid; the many citizens who opened their homes, collected donations, and lived solidarity; the political leaders at the municipal, state, and federal levels who have taken a clear stance.
Solidarity is not a gesture for a moment. It is a decision - renewed every day.
On the anniversary of February 24th, we remember the victims of this war. We remember the fallen, the civilians, the children whose lives have been forever changed. And we affirm: Ukraine is not only defending its own territory. It is defending the values of freedom, human dignity, and self-determination.
Now is not the time for fatigue or indifference. Now is the time for steadfastness.
Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!