“Ladies and gentlemen, terrible and horrifying images are reaching us from Ukraine at this time. We see dozens of civilians shot dead in Bucha, an area north of Kyiv that until a few days ago was controlled by the Russian military, streets littered with corpses and bodies buried in a makeshift manner. Women, children and the elderly are said to be among the victims.

The murder of civilians is a war crime. We must relentlessly investigate these crimes committed by the Russian armed forces. I demand that international organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross be given access to these areas in order to document the atrocities. The perpetrators and their commanders must be brought to justice. The war in Ukraine is in its sixth week. Thousands of Ukrainians have already fallen victim to it, and the killing continues unabated.

I call on President Putin and Russia to finally agree to a ceasefire and stop the fighting. It is a terrible war, a senseless war, a war that cannot be justified by anything, a war that has brought endless suffering and serves no one. It has to stop.
In the next few days, we will decide on further measures with our allies. President Putin and his supporters will feel the consequences. We will continue to supply weapons to Ukraine so that it can defend itself against the Russian invasion.

Thank you very much!”