Dear Sviatlana,

Distinguished guests

Students,

Let me say how honoured I am to be here, to be invited to this great University and to be able to speak to you today. I feel like I know the Harvard Kennedy School very well. It’s my husband’s Alma Mater, and twenty years later, as with anyone who has studied here, it still comes up in every second conversation we have.

It is testament to the prestige of the University and its lasting impact. I say it to give some context. Twenty years ago, I was campaigning for my country to join the European Union, I was still a student, learning the ins and outs of politics. It was a hard-fought campaign. I believed passionately that my generation’s place was in Europe. I believe it still.

The transformational impact of Europe on our societies, on our communities, on our standards, our economy, our environment meant everything. It was about our security, about strength in unity and the comfort of belonging.

We won that campaign. We took our…