Update on Ukraine by Leader of European Solidarity, Petro Poroshenko
Dear friends,
I appeal to you to take action and stop Russia from amassing troops along the border of Ukraine and prevent invasion.
In the end of October 2021, the world was alerted by the information about Russia’s preparation to continue the second phase of the aggression against the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
It is not by coincidence that Putin masses his troops along Ukraine’s borders.
They are there not without purpose. They are there to stop Ukraine’s progress. They are there to halt Ukraine’s rapprochement with the collective West.
And to display the limits of Western soft power, weakness of democracy.
This is a danger not only for Ukraine. It is a threat to European and global security.
Putin believes that Russia can take place only in the format of Russian Empire or Soviet Union. Putin’s strategic goal is to seize Ukraine. We must not allow him to use all these tools to influence Europe. Not only does Russia do this with its war against Ukraine. Russia has been provoking the crisis on the borders of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. There is also a dangerous situation in Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Talks between US President Joseph Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the escalation of Russian aggression against Ukraine have been a necessary step towards creating conditions to prevent war. However, much remain to be done to de-escalate the situation and much more to restore peace. Extremely important is that President Biden spoke in coordination and a united front with NATO allies. We fully support the approach of the so-called two Ds: a call for immediate de-escalation and a diplomatic solution. We believe that this approach should be strengthened by the third D: de-occupation of the Ukrainian territories of Donbas and Crimea.
Our agenda is very clear:
– First, we appeal to our Western allies to provide Ukraine with assistance in the form of defensive weapons, which will significantly increase the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces. We have one of the highly motivated Armed Forces in the world to fight back. But in order to improve its efficiency, we must restore something like a defense assistance program for Ukraine, code-named Lend-Lease 2 that will stop an aggressor from making further aggressive moves.
– Secondly, the introduction of severe sanctions against Russia. The West should prepare a very strong economic sanctions package, including cutting Russia off from the SWIFT international payment system used by banks around the world and sanctioning the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. We welcome the declared readiness of the United States and the EU partners to impose powerful sanctions on Russia in the event of further escalation. The price of aggression against Ukraine must go unbearable for the Kremlin. I believe that our partners should not be subjected to Russian blackmail in the case of Nord Stream 2. This reckless plan is a part of the Kremlin’s aggression against Ukraine and the whole of Europe, and therefore it should be blocked.
– Thirdly, Ukraine needs support from the EU and the United States for implementation of the reforms to strengthen the resilience of our country, as well as to strengthen the democratic institutions, the rule of law and the common democratic values.
– The last but not the least, it is high time to secure the place of Ukraine in the Free World through opening the perspective for EU membership and granting Ukraine with the Membership Action Plan.
We definitely need the unity of the whole free world. Right now, we need a strong and united voice for diplomatic pressure on Russia. If we achieve this, there is no doubt that we will succeed.
To sum it up: The fight for Ukraine is bigger than Ukraine.
Fight for Ukraine is fight for democracy and the Free World, the values we love.
If there is a place on Earth, where the most furious and violent competitions between democracy and autocracy is, then this place is Ukraine.
Should Ukraine withstand, democracy will outline the future of our region for long.
Should democracy withstand in our region, it will be a strong message to others.
This situation is Putin’s attempt to destabilize Europe and the world, to break the unity of the European Union and the transatlantic community. It is in our common interest not to allow him to do that. And in this situation, it is extremely important for the whole world, in particular for the European Union and NATO, to be together with Ukraine.
Only together, with a united front, will we be able to defeat the Russian monster!
Yours Friendly,
Petro Poroshenko
Leader of European Solidarity political party
The Fifth President of Ukraine