In a post on his personal page on the social network Facebook, the president of the ACP, Pavlo Sadokha, emphasizes that the elections for the European Parliament are of “extreme importance” for Ukraine, “both for victory in the war and reconstruction, and for the future of membership of the European Union (EU)”.
“On May 9th [Thursday], Europe Day, we will have a great opportunity to appeal to Portuguese voters to support political parties that consistently support Ukraine”, says Sadokha.
The gathering, according to the president of the ACP, has the motto “A United Europe from Kiev to Lisbon!”, will begin at 7:00 pm at Praça D. Pedro IV (Rossio), in Lisbon, where a statement will also be made to Portuguese society and political parties to support Ukraine.
In another statement, the ACP recalls that many Ukrainians who have lived in Portugal since the first economic migration, in the 2000s, when hearing the Portuguese National Anthem, “sincerely place their hand on their heart”.
“Portugal gave us something essential, without which we cannot foresee the future. Being a free person in a free country is the most important condition for realizing dreams and opportunities for each individual”, the text reads.
In the informative note, the ACP harshly criticizes the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and then resumed on February 24, 2022, recalling the years of “oppression and servitude” during the Soviet occupation of the country, “which has devastated and ruined millions of lives.”
“Many Ukrainians learned from you (Portuguese) to respect their own history, language, culture, and also to respect others. Unfortunately, in the 21st century, we face another world. A world of aggressive leaders who want to return to the totalitarian past, blackmailing independent countries with a new world war or a nuclear catastrophe”, highlights the ACP.
“But we will never go back to that past. We made our choice and every day we pay a very high price to resist Russian aggression, something we also achieved with your help”, he adds.
For the ACP, in the mind of Russian President Vladimir Putin, “there is only one way to subjugate free Ukraine and then conquer other free countries: divide the democratic world, divide United Europe.”
“Putin does not have infinite resources to continue the war. His greatest strength does not lie in weapons or the number of soldiers. He continues to bribe individual agents of influence or even political parties within the European Union. His main strength is propaganda, corruption and populism”, continues the ACP.
“To do this, [Putin] does not need to worry about his own people, nor fulfill social and political obligations. What Putin fears most is a united democratic Europe, of free countries, which builds its relations on the basis of commitments and in healthy competition, considering common interests”, maintains the association of Ukrainians in Portugal.
In this sense, on Europe Day, celebrated on Thursday, the ACP calls on the Portuguese to make their choice in favor of Ukraine, “which defends European values in the face of the totalitarian fascism of Putin’s Russia”.
“Make the choice in favor of the guardian of Peace, the Free World and a united Europe: from Kiev to Lisbon!”, concludes the document.
The elections for the European Parliament will take place between June 6th and 9th, with the last day being the day on which the Portuguese will go to the polls to choose their 21 representatives.
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