NordenBladet —
The Chairpersons of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the European Parliament and the Parliaments of the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the United Kingdom made a Joint Statement on the unjustified Russian military build-up in and around Ukraine and in Belarus.
Statement:
We, the Chairs of our respective parliament’s Committees,
Following the ongoing Russian military build-up closely at the Russian-Ukrainian border, in the illegally annexed Crimea, as well as the joint military exercise of Russia and Belarus,
Call on Russia to de-escalate the situation, withdraw its troops from Ukraine’s border and the territory of Belarus;
Recall that any further military aggression against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe costs in response, including restrictive measures coordinated with partners;
Urge Russia not to recognize the non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine as independent entities as it would be a blatant violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty;
Call on Belarus to ensure full transparency of the joint military exercise of Russia and Belarus, “Union Resolve 2022”, concerning the strength and composition of military forces, primary weapon and military equipment systems and the timeline of return of forces to home basis;
Urge Russia and Belarus to ensure compliance of their political and military commitments with the principles of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Text of the Statement and names of the signatories
Source: Parliament of Estonia