Brussels
25 February 2022
The European Green family condemns President Putin’s war against Ukraine in the strongest way possible. Russia’s full-fledged invasion constitutes an outright attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty and
is a flagrant violation of international law.
This is not only an attack on Ukraine’s territorial integrity, but a brutal attack on the rule of law, democracy and peace in Europe – the foundations on which the European Union was built in the aftermath of World War II.
We welcome the sanctions that have been imposed by the EU and its allies. Europe must remain united and extend its sanctions as part of a coordinated effort.
We also welcome the German government’s decisive action to freeze the Nord Stream 2 gas project, and the instrumental role played by the German Greens (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) in this decision. The crisis illustrates the strategic necessity to be energetically independent from fossil fuels. Energy policy is a question of security.
The respect of Ukraine’s sovereignty implies the respect for its right to freely choose its alliances. Ukraine has a right to freedom and democracy, and we must act swiftly to protect these rights.
We therefore call for:
- Additional sanctions to be stepped up and implemented quickly by the EU and all its member states
- The exclusion of Russian banks from the SWIFT international banking network
- Stopping the import of gas, oil and minerals from Russia as soon as possible
- All former EU and member state governmental representatives to withdraw from functions in Russian companies
- The seizure of all assets of Russian officials responsible for backing this invasion and the freezing of Putin’s assets
- Extended support for Ukrainian refugees, including the provision of shelters, medical aid and information, as well as the creation of humanitarian corridors
- Continued diplomatic efforts in the pursuit of a peaceful outcome
- Speeding up the energy transition to replace Europe’s imported gas and oil dependency to enhance our energy independence and security
- A solidarity instrument including enhanced financial support (not limited to loans and credit guarantees) for Ukraine
- Financial assistance for member states to help deal with the economic consequences of imposed sanctions
- Enhancing the EU’s cyber-security capabilities and a more robust EU strategy on tackling large-scale disinformation campaigns
The European Green Party stands firmly with Ukraine and extends its solidarity to its people. We will be joining the gatherings calling for peace and an end to Russian aggression that are happening across Europe, to show our support for Ukraine. We encourage all European citizens to join us.
Signed,
The Committee of the European Green Party
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