At this dark hour, when we see Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine and massive disinformation campaigns and information manipulation, it is essential to separate lies — invented to justify what cannot be justified — from facts.
The facts are that Russia, a major nuclear power, has attacked and invaded a peaceful and democratic neighboring country which posed no threat to it, nor provoked it. Moreover, Russian President Vladimir Putin is threatening reprisals on any other state that comes to the rescue of the people of Ukraine.
Such use of force and coercion has no place in the 21st century.
What Putin is doing is not only a grave breach of international law, it is a violation of the basic principles of human coexistence. With his choice to bring war back to Europe, we see the return of the “law of the jungle” where might makes right.
The target is not only Ukraine, but the security of Europe and the whole international rules-based order, based on the UN system and international law.
His aggression is taking innocent lives, crushing people’s wish to live in peace. Civilian targets are being struck, clearly contravening international humanitarian law, forcing people to flee. We see a humanitarian catastrophe developing.
For months, we pursued unparalleled efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution, but Putin lied to the faces of all who met him, pretending to be interested in a peaceful solution. Instead, he opted for a full-scale invasion, a fully fledged war.
Russia must cease its military operations immediately, and unconditionally withdraw from the entire territory of Ukraine. The same goes for Belarus, which has to immediately stop its involvement in this aggression and respect its international obligations.
The EU is united in offering its strong support to Ukraine and its people. This is a matter of life and death. I am preparing an emergency package to support the Ukrainian armed forces in their fight.
The international community is in response opting for full-scale isolation of Russia, to hold Putin accountable for this aggression. We are sanctioning those who finance the war, crippling the Russian banking system and it access to international reserves.
The EU and its partners have already imposed massive sanctions on Russia that target its leaders and elites, and strategic sectors of the Kremlin-run economy. The aim is not to harm the Russian people, but to weaken the Kremlin’s ability to finance this unjust war.
In doing this, we are closely aligned with our partners and allies: the US, Canada, the UK, Japan, South Korea and Australia.
We also see many of our partners from around the world rallying to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, including our friends in Taiwan. We stand together on the right side of history in the face of Russia’s horrifying attack on a free and sovereign country.
To justify its crimes, the Kremlin and its supporters have engaged in a massive disinformation campaign, which already started weeks ago. We have seen Russian state media and their ecosystem peddling untruths in social media networks with the aim to deceive and manipulate.
The Western Balkans have also been targeted by the Kremlin’s disinformation operations for far too long and know how to detect when being exposed to information manipulation.
The Kremlin propagandists call the invasion “a special operation,” but this cynical euphemism cannot hide that we are witnessing a fully fledged invasion of Ukraine, with the aim of crushing its freedom, legitimate government and democratic structures.
Calling the Kyiv government “neo-Nazi” and “Russophobic” is nonsense: All manifestations of Nazism are banned in Ukraine.
In modern Ukraine, extreme right-wing candidates are a fringe phenomenon with minimal support, without passing the barrier to enter parliament.
The Ukrainian government did not cut the Donbass off and it has not prohibited the use of Russian language and culture. Donetsk and Luhansk are no republics, they are Ukrainian regions controlled by Russia-backed and armed separatist groupings.
We know this — and many Russians know this. There have been courageous protests in cities across Russia since the invasion started, demanding an end to the aggression against a peaceful neighboring nation. We hear their voices and recognize their courage in speaking out, and we also see many prominent public figures in Russia protesting this senseless invasion.
I continue to work with our partners around the world to ensure the joint action of the international community against the Kremlin’s behavior. On Friday, only Russia vetoed a UN Security Council Resolution on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, with China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstaining.
From all over the world, countries condemn Russia’s attacks, and at the UN General Assembly the entire international community needs to join forces and help to end Russia’s military aggression by adopting the related UN resolution. We particularly thank Albania as co-penholder of the resolution.
Taiwanese unfortunately know all too well what it is like to live under the shadow of threats and intimidation. They can surely begin to understand what the people of Ukraine are going through. We are therefore grateful to see that Taiwan, together with all of our like-minded partners, is taking a clear stance against aggression and war in Europe.
With this war on Ukraine, the world will never be the same again. It is now, more than ever, the time for societies and alliances to come together to build our future on trust, justice and freedom. It is the moment to stand up and speak out. Might does not make right. Never did. Never will.
Josep Borrell is high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the European Commission.
There are moments in history when America has turned its back on its principles and withdrawn from past commitments in service of higher goals. For example, US-Soviet Cold War competition compelled America to make a range of deals with unsavory and undemocratic figures across Latin America and Africa in service of geostrategic aims. The United States overlooked mass atrocities against the Bengali population in modern-day Bangladesh in the early 1970s in service of its tilt toward Pakistan, a relationship the Nixon administration deemed critical to its larger aims in developing relations with China. Then, of course, America switched diplomatic recognition
The international women’s soccer match between Taiwan and New Zealand at the Kaohsiung Nanzih Football Stadium, scheduled for Tuesday last week, was canceled at the last minute amid safety concerns over poor field conditions raised by the visiting team. The Football Ferns, as New Zealand’s women’s soccer team are known, had arrived in Taiwan one week earlier to prepare and soon raised their concerns. Efforts were made to improve the field, but the replacement patches of grass could not grow fast enough. The Football Ferns canceled the closed-door training match and then days later, the main event against Team Taiwan. The safety
The National Immigration Agency on Tuesday said it had notified some naturalized citizens from China that they still had to renounce their People’s Republic of China (PRC) citizenship. They must provide proof that they have canceled their household registration in China within three months of the receipt of the notice. If they do not, the agency said it would cancel their household registration in Taiwan. Chinese are required to give up their PRC citizenship and household registration to become Republic of China (ROC) nationals, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said. He was referring to Article 9-1 of the Act
The Chinese government on March 29 sent shock waves through the Tibetan Buddhist community by announcing the untimely death of one of its most revered spiritual figures, Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche. His sudden passing in Vietnam raised widespread suspicion and concern among his followers, who demanded an investigation. International human rights organization Human Rights Watch joined their call and urged a thorough investigation into his death, highlighting the potential involvement of the Chinese government. At just 56 years old, Rinpoche was influential not only as a spiritual leader, but also for his steadfast efforts to preserve and promote Tibetan identity and cultural
RSS