“It’s incredible to be here at this time”

Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir says it was a very emotional moment as candles were laid at a memorial to fallen soldiers on Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine, this morning. Today there are three year since Russia invaded Ukraine.

At the square in the center of Kiev is a city of flags where each flag represents a fallen soldier in the war with Russia. Pictures of fallen soldiers adorn the memorial.

After the memorial, the leaders headed to a hotel in the city where the conference is taking place. It is planned to last until the afternoon and end with a press conference. Following this, President Zelensky will have meetings with the leaders of the G7 countries and later the G8 countries. He will also meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“I think everyone must have been through a certain rollercoaster of emotions standing there. It is really incredible to be here at this time. That after everything that people here have been through, many things here just continue. Life goes on as usual. People go to work here and children are here in school,” Frostadóttir tells a mbl.is reporter in Kiev.

Frostadóttir participated in the memorial service together with Volodymyr Selensky, President of Ukraine, his wife Olena and other national leaders.

We have enormous interests to protect

Following the memorial service, there was a conference where a number of national leaders gave addresses. In her address, Frostadóttir announced that Iceland will increase its contribution to Ukraine.

Just before Kristrún gave her address, a live broadcast from a school classroom in Ukraine was shown and Kristrún mentioned it.

“Of course, you think about it yourself, since I have young children and this is absolutely incredible. This environment to grow up in. But I think it just shows in black and white the importance of us standing with Ukraine. We are doing what we can. "And that we also remember that although we feel safe and we are happy with our well-being in Iceland, it depends on there being peace. And we have a huge interest in there being a ceasefire and just peace agreements on the basis of Ukraine and in Ukraine. That is a key issue."

Ukraine is a line of defense for the security of all of Europe

Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir began her speech at the European summit in Kiev by thanking the Ukrainian President for his hospitality.

She said that Icelanders are steadfast allies of the Ukrainian people in the current turmoil the country is going through, and that the Icelandic government respects the country's sovereignty and independence.

"February 24th is a dark day in the history of Europe. Three years ago, peace on the continent was broken," said the minister, adding that Russia had blatantly violated all the values ​​and rules that had been established since the end of World War II.

Despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's plan to destroy Ukraine, the Ukrainian people had shown great strength, pride and determination against an enemy who had not hesitated and had attacked with all his might against 80 years of peace and security in Europe.

“We recognize your struggle”

“You have stood up for peace, democracy and the rule of law,” Frostadóttir continued. Without respect for international law and the rule of law, states like hers, Iceland, would be in danger.

“Zelensky, we recognize this. We recognize your struggle, you are fighting for all of Europe, but your fight for the highest values ​​has cost you dearly,” the minister said.

She then expressed her deepest sympathy to the Ukrainian people for the lives lost on the battlefield.

She then said she wanted to say a few words about the current situation.

“First of all, and this may seem obvious, today we must lay the facts on the table. Russia attacked Ukraine, Russia is the aggressor. Ukrainians are defending their homeland and freedom under the rule of a democratically elected president and a democratically elected parliament.

Secondly, Ukraine forms a line of defense for the security of all of us in Europe, and Iceland understands this. A strong Ukraine is a condition for a just and lasting peace. Ukraine needs increased support and it must be provided now. Iceland has increased its assistance since last year, but we will contribute more. I can announce today that my government has decided to more than double its defense budget for Ukraine this year in order to meet our obligations.”

Lasting peace cannot be achieved without security guarantees

Frostadóttir said that Iceland is certainly a small country – and its support would be in line with that. However, the Icelandic state was obliged to contribute to supporting Ukraine.

Thirdly, she said that unity needed to be created among states and Europe should take the lead in supporting Ukraine. When peace negotiations come to an end, nothing should be said about Ukraine without its representatives at the table and representatives of European countries.

Lasting peace cannot be achieved without security guarantees, they must be part of the peace agreement that sees the light of day, and such a peace agreement depends on European solidarity.

“We will all be willing to put our weight in the balance in an appropriate manner.

“Finally: Ukraine belongs to the Euro-Atlantic family of free nations. It is my hope that its application for membership in the European Union will be processed quickly. Membership in the Atlantic Alliance should be on the table. Iceland is fully committed to the decisions taken at the NATO summit in Washington. Iceland supports you, glory to Ukraine,” Kristrún Frostadóttir concluded her speech, speaking the final words in Ukrainian: “Slava Ukraini.”