GPPAC statement on the situation around Ukraine

GPPAC expresses its deep concern about the heightened tensions around Ukraine and the risk of an escalation of the armed conflict taking place in the east of the country, with its possible transformation into a large-scale war against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state of Ukraine.

The unleashing of such a war would have catastrophic consequences for the citizens of all countries involved, as well as serious negative consequences for the peaceful and prosperous development of the whole world.

In this statement, we recognize that the Russian Federation, Ukraine and all other states have legitimate interests related to ensuring their security, but we note that such interests must be achieved exclusively by peaceful means, through diplomacy and taking into account similar interests of other countries.

Among others, we call for: 

• The urgent de-escalation of tensions along the Ukrainian borders with the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.
• A halt to the deployment of troops and weapons.
• Complete cessation of armed clashes in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine.
• The support of the international community for people, especially servicemen, who make a voluntary and conscious decision to refuse to participate in aggression or wars of conquest.
• The support of the international community for the peacebuilding efforts of civil society including activities in mediation, confidence-building, public diplomacy and other initiatives aimed to prevent an escalation of hostilities and bring peace to Ukrainian soil. 

• Strengthening of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to a level where it will be able to quickly record, confidently attribute and immediately make public any violation of the ceasefire regime in the Donbass.

• Initiating – preferably under the auspices of the United Nations - of a broad multilateral forum on the basic principles and approaches in the field of global security.

You can download the full statement and recommendations here.