Governments must take six actions to assist Ukraine in face of Russian invasion, say world politicians
More than 100 world and Ukrainian politicians and civil society leaders have appealed to the international community, outlining six actions they must take urgently to help Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion.
The Kyiv Declaration has called on world governments to provide “immediate defensive military aid, including lethal and non-lethal assistance”; implement “crippling” sanctions on Russia; freeze the assets and revoke the visas of president Vladimir Putin’s “cronies”; establish safe zones in Ukraine; provide humanitarian aid; and provide equipment to help track war crimes.
“As our nation takes up arms to defend our homes and our families, we… have come together with six urgent appeals to the international community,” the declaration said.
“We are fighting with everything we can, but we cannot win with courage and conviction alone. We need help. And we need it now. We ask the international community to stand with Ukraine by taking [these] actions.”
Read more: Why the idea of a ‘neutral’ Ukraine is a non-starter in peace talks
Kyiv Declaration endorsements and signatories
As well as being signed by 94 leaders of 40 Ukrainian civil society organisations, the document has been endorsed by 17 international current and former politicians, public servants, academics and others. These include the former prime ministers of Sweden, Finland, and Estonia, Carl Bildt, Alexander Stubb, and Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
Others to lend their support to the declaration include Anthony Lake, former national security adviser to US president Bill Clinton; Tom Tugendhat, chair of the UK Foreign Affairs Select Committee; UK diplomat, former MP, and one-time Conservative Party leadership contender Rory Stewart; and the Polish MEP and former foreign minister, Radek Sikorski.
Call for “strongest possible” sanctions against Russia
Its call for further sanctions on Russia including imposing the “strongest possible” sanctions on the country’s central bank “with no exclusions”, a “total ban” on all Russian banks using SWIFT, and Europe and the US cutting off Russia’s oil and gas sectors.
It has also appealed for Putin’s friends and associates to be denied access to their cash and properties in the West, to have their and their family members’ visas revoked, and to impose a travel ban on them.
Read more: The age of permanent crisis is here – governments must rapidly adapt
“Putin has unleashed a bloody war on the people of Ukraine. Our hospitals, schools and homes have been bombed, our streets filled with tanks, our sons and daughters shot. Why? Because we stood up to authoritarianism and chose a better life. We chose democracy. We chose freedom,” the declaration said.
“This is not just a war against Ukraine, it is a war against the fundamental principles of democracy. A great iron chain is being drawn across Europe that Putin hopes will sink any society that he believes strays too far into the light.”
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About Mia Hunt
Mia is a journalist and editor with a background in covering commercial property, having been market reports and supplements editor at trade title Property Week and deputy editor of Shopping Centre magazine, now known as Retail Destination. She has also undertaken freelance work for several publications including the preview magazine of international trade show, MAPIC, and TES Global (formerly the Times Educational Supplement) and has produced a white paper on energy efficiency in business for E.ON. Between 2014 and 2016, she was a member of the Revo Customer Experience Committee and an ACE Awards judge. Mia graduated from Kingston University with a first-class degree in journalism and was part of the team that produced The River newspaper, which won Publication of the Year at the Guardian Student Media Awards in 2010.
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