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Seven high-profile members of the European Parliament have issued a joint statement ahead of the US-Russia summit in Alaska on Friday, warning that Russian aggression must not be rewarded with territorial gains.
The statement was drafted by the chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, David McAllister and signed by six other high-ranking deputies, including Pekka Toveri, (Finland/EPP), Brando Benifei, (Italy/S&D), Ville Ninistő, (Finland/The Greens-EFA), Michael Gahler, (Germany/EPP), Michal Szczerba, (Poland/EPP) and Sandra Kalniete, (Latvia/EPP).
The statement demanded that Ukraine be included in the US-Russia talks on Friday.
“No peace in Ukraine can be negotiated without the full participation of Ukraine’s democratically elected leadership and the backing of its people,” it said, underlining that any deal must be grounded in international law and must ensure the prosecution of those responsible for war crimes.
The statement rejects the idea of exchanging territories in order to achieve a ceasefire. Earlier, US President Donald Trump said the proposal might include a territorial exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
“We emphasise that any arrangement on terms dictated by Russia or that would reward its war of aggression against Ukraine would gravely endanger the security of the European continent,” the statement said.
The MEPs state Ukraine must be supported by its partners to be in a position to reach a ceasefire.
“Aggression must never be rewarded or acknowledged – neither in Ukraine nor anywhere else. If Russia succeeds in altering Ukraine’s borders by force, the security of no country’s borders can be assured,” the statement read.
The signatories of the statement stressed that peace negotiations must be preceded by an unconditional ceasefire. and recalled that Russia has made unfeasible proposals in recent months as a pretext for prolonging the war.
Finally, the statement called on the EU to remain united and to provide political, economic, military, and humanitarian support to Ukraine until a comprehensive, just and lasting peace is secured.
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