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Hussar said that Russia’s war of aggression and the peace that follows its conclusion would shape Europe’s security architecture for generations to come. “It is imperative for Europe, Ukraine, and the USA to cooperate for a just and lasting peace – for the kind of peace that is grounded in international law and fully respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty,” he said in his speech at the Summit.
The history has shown that kowtowing to aggression does not pacify the storm but simply invites a new and even more violent one. “Europe will never accept any demands that extend Russia’s influence beyond the country’s borders. All negotiations must begin with an immediate ceasefire. Any agreement must focus on ending the war, securing Ukraine’s future, and giving reliable security guarantees,” Hussar said. He firmly believes that Ukraine must retain the right to choose its own path, be it towards the European Union or NATO.
The President of the Riigikogu also emphasised that crimes must never go unpunished and that the children deported from Ukraine must be brought back home. “The aggressor must pay. Russia’s frozen assets must become a real asset of Ukraine’s defence and reconstruction. In the European Union alone, such assets exceed EUR 200 million. Let’s put these to good use,” he said.
Hussar stressed the need for Europe to stay united and determined. “If territories can be conquered and borders reshaped by force, no one is safe. To prevent a future like this, we need to continue and fortify our solid support for Ukraine and our pressure on Russia. And let me tell you frankly – Russia will never ever change,” said Hussar in his speech at the Summit.
In the framework of this, the fourth Summit, Hussar had separate meetings with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk and the President of the National Council of Switzerland Maja Riniker.
The Summit, organised jointly by the Swedish and Ukrainian parliaments, highlights the need to restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, and discusses the impact of the aggression, as well as the crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine. The Summit will conclude with a Joint Declaration.
After the Summit, the President of the Riigikogu will leave on a visit to Germany, where he will meet with the President of the German Bundestag Julia Klöckner and the Chairman of the German Parliamentary Friendship Group for Relations with the Baltic States Bettina Hagedorn on Tuesday. Hussar will also have a meeting in the German Council on Foreign Relations.
The President of the Riigikogu will be accompanied in Berlin by the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson and the member of the Estonia-Germany Parliamentary Friendship Group Raimond Kaljulaid.
Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: Hussar: Just and lasting peace must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine
Source: Parliament of Estonia