There is no alternative to the three-pronged strategy: supporting Kiev, pressuring Russia to end its aggression, and helping the world deal with the consequences.
February 24, 2022 will forever be remembered as the day Russia began its brutal, unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine. It was and still is a clear case of aggression and violation of the Charter of the United Nations. This war is not “only a European issue”, nor a battle of the “West against the rest”. What is at stake is the kind of world we all want to live in. No one is safe in a world where the illegal use of force, which in this case is also carried out by a nuclear power and permanent member of the Security Council, has been normalized. Therefore, international law must apply everywhere to protect us against abuses of power, blackmail and military attacks.
A year later, there is a risk that people will get used to the images of war crimes and atrocities they see because there are so many of them; that the words we use begin to lose their meaning because we have to repeat them so often; and that we grow weary and weaken our resolve, because time passes and the task before us is difficult. But we must persevere. With each passing day, Russia continues to violate the UN Charter, set a dangerous imperialist precedent, kill innocent Ukrainian women, men and children, launch missiles at cities and civilian infrastructure and spread lies.
The European Union and our partners have no choice but to stick to our three-pronged strategy: to support Ukraine, to pressure Russia to end its aggression and to help the rest of the world cope with the consequences. And this is what we have been doing successfully for a year now. We have passed unprecedented sanctions, reduced our dependence on Russian fossil fuels and, working closely with our key allies, cut by 50% the energy revenue the Kremlin derives to fund itself. By working together, and thanks in part to our Solidarity Routes and the Black Sea Grain Initiative, we can already lower food and energy prices.
It is not enough to say that we want Ukraine to be able to defend itself. You need the resources to do it. And for this reason, the EU has supplied arms to an attacked country for the first time and is the main provider of military training for the Ukrainian army. We also provide significant macro-financial and humanitarian assistance and have decided to respond positively to Ukraine’s application to join the EU. And at the same time, we are working to ensure that Russia is held accountable for its war crimes. Russia is further isolated by global sanctions and condemnation from the vast majority of states in the UN General Assembly.
Ukraine has shown its remarkable resilience, and our common goal is and will remain a democratic Ukraine that expels the invader and restores its full sovereignty. Above all, we want peace in Ukraine, a comprehensive and lasting peace that is in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law. Supporting Ukraine and working for peace go hand in hand. History and justice are on Ukraine’s side. But to accelerate the story and achieve justice, we must leverage our three-pronged strategy. We know it is a collective task and that is why the EU calls on all its partners to act in a spirit of shared responsibility to ensure that aggression fails, international law prevails and we achieve peace.
Source: La Verdad
I am George Kunkel, an author working for Today Times Live. I specialize in opinion pieces and cover stories that are both informative and thought-provoking – helping to shape public discourse on key issues. My work is regularly featured across the network’s many platforms, including print media and social media.
