(Strasbourg) A president of a European government went to Moscow to meet Putin on a “so-called peace mission”: this is what Ursula Von der Leyen said in her address to MEPs in Strasbourg, referring to Viktor Orban’s initiative (she did not even name the Hungarian prime minister), which was also criticised by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. “This so-called peace mission was nothing but an appeasement mission”, she pointed out. And she went on to say: “Only two days later, Putin’s jets aimed their missiles at a children’s hospital”. The President, who now needs the confidence of the European Parliament for a second mandate, recalled in her speech the risks for democracy. “For a very long time, we took it for granted. But today our democracies are under threat. Journalists – whose work I wish to commend here – have been uncovering cases of spying, cyber-attacks, corruption and disinformation by foreign actors, in particular the Russians and Chinese. We must prevent hostile foreign actors from interfering in our democratic processes, undermining them. If you lend me your confidence today, the Commission will propose a European Democracy Shield”.