European Speakers demand holding Russia to account in a Joint Statement

The Speakers declared that they stood in solidarity with Ukrainian people and honoured the memory of every victim of the atrocities committed by Russian troops in Bucha and other cities and villages across Ukraine. “We stress that there is no justification for Russia’s actions on the European continent, which constitutes the crime of aggression,” they say.

The Speakers emphasized that accountability for Russia’s actions in Ukraine was essential. They expressed their full support to the efforts of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine. They noted the arrest warrants issued by the Pre-Trial Chamber of International Criminal Court for Russian high-ranking officials, and appealed to ICC States Parties to cooperate in good faith with the ICC. The Speakers also called for the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine. “Such measures are essential to ensuring accountability and deterring future attempts to commit similar crimes,” they pointed out.

According to the Speakers, the barbaric actions of Russia on the territory of Ukraine have led to the suffering and deaths of thousands of civilians, the deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children and the destruction of their homes and cities. “We call for a significant increase in humanitarian and military aid for Ukraine. Supporting Ukraine’s struggle must be recognized as a moral obligation for every nation, as well as for the European Union and NATO, until peace and security in Ukraine and Europe are fully restored,” they said in the Joint Statement.

The Speakers called on the authorities of EU Member States and NATO, and all nations that share the principles of freedom, human rights and the rule of law, to impose the strongest possible sanctions and measures that would force Russia to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. They also welcomed the efforts of all nations, in accordance with the principles of the rule of law, to use Russia’s frozen assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine and compensating for the damage caused by the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

The Speakers underlined that despite Russia’s ongoing illegal, unprovoked and unjustified full-scale military invasion, Ukraine had proved that it was a reliable partner. “We reaffirm our support for Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration and sovereign right to determine its future and to participate in alliances of its choosing, free from external pressure or coercion. Russia can have no veto on European political and security architecture,” they said in their Joint Statement.

The Joint Statement was signed by the Speakers and the Heads of delegations of the Parliaments of Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the European Parliament. The Speakers participated in the commemoration ceremony held today to mark the third anniversary of the Bucha massacre and the summit that followed it, at the invitation of Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk.

Text of the Joint Statement in Estonian and in English

Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: European Speakers demand holding Russia to account in a Joint Statement

Source: Parliament of Estonia