RUSSIA CHOSE THE PATH OF UNILATERAL AGGRESSION

RUSSIA CHOSE THE PATH OF UNILATERAL AGGRESSION

By its military attack on Ukraine, Russia has started a war in Europe. Russia is

breaking the rules of international law and of the well-established European Security

Order. The EU and its Member States condemn, in the strongest terms possible,

Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military invasion of the sovereign nation of

Ukraine.

We call on Russia to immediately cease hostilities and withdraw its military from

Ukraine, and respect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

We stand firmly at the side of Ukraine.

It was not Ukraine or NATO who chose the path of unilateral aggression – it was

Russia. President Putin is questioning Ukraine’s right to exist as an independent and

sovereign nation by falsifying historical facts. To call the invasion of Ukraine a

“peacekeeping“ mission, means perverting the Charter of the United Nations.

In recent months, European countries have left no diplomatic stone unturned to find a

peaceful way out of this crisis, but the Russian government was not interested in

dialogue.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the

President of the European Council, Charles Michel, have held talks with President

Putin. Other international leaders have intervened as well. All these efforts have

proved to be in vain. Russia did not reduce the military build-up along the borders of

Ukraine that caused the tensions in the first place.

Now the weapons are talking and many people are suffering and losing their lives. We

will continue to coordinate our reactions in the framework of NATO, the G7, the UN,

and with Ukraine of course, who is a strategic partner for the EU. Sanctions against

Russia are in place now. And, we are increasing our security structures and those of

our allies.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is not only about Europe. It is a wake-up call for the

whole world. No country in the world can accept that the sovereignty of other countries

is jeopardized, only because a stronger neighbour wants it.

The international community cannot accept the violation of fundamental principles of

the UN Charter, which is the basis for the whole world to live together in peace and

prosperity.

We, the Ambassadors from the European Union, commend Botswana for cosponsoring

the UN Security Council Resolution on Ukraine last week, thus signalling

its traditional respect for freedom, democracy and international conventions. Russia

alone vetoed this resolution.

Russia’s war in Ukraine will have worldwide repercussions, with increasing commodity

prices, dwindling stock markets and food insecurity. If we are not acting immediately,

then we will all pay an even higher price.

The vote in the UN General Assembly this week will be another important opportunity

for all countries to stand with Ukraine. What the world needs now, is a clear and

unanimous condemnation of the Russian military attack on Ukraine by all UN Member

States!

Laurence Beau, Ambassador of France

Margit Hellwig-Boette, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany

Jan Sadek, Ambassador of the European Union