All Ukrainians want freedom, peace and security. The guarantor is a sovereign and indivisible Ukrainian state. Millions of Ukrainians have given their lives, in the struggle for its establishment and recognition. It is a sacred duty of each of us to remember and honor the sacrifice of the best sons and daughters of the Ukrainian people.
At a time when our warriors are now defending Ukraine from Russia's armed aggression, the greatest responsibility for the fate of Ukraine rests with the highest leadership of the state, in particular, President Volodymyr Zelensky. As Head of State and Commander-in-Chief, he should be aware that his stance on ending Russian aggression should not be determined by politics or narrow political considerations and cannot ignore the colossal price paid by the Ukrainian nation for its independence. The President should understand that in Ukrainian-Russian relations this is not an incidental conflict, but another attempt by Russia to destroy Ukraine as an independent state.
That is why we, public figures, scholars, experts, volunteer combatants and their civic supporters, are concerned about President Zelensky's statement of September 12, 2019 that the Steinmeier Formula will be discussed at a meeting of the leaders of the Normandy Four. This formula is known to provide for the holding of elections in the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia and to give those areas special status. The application of the aforementioned formula to the negotiations, which are based on the Minsk Agreements imposed on Ukraine, removes from the agenda the issue of the occupation of Crimea and Russia's responsibility as an aggressor state.
Agreeing with this or any similar formula will mean the capitulation of Ukraine to the Kremlin. Peace with Russia cannot be reached at any cost. Such a peace would lead to an even larger war, more casualties and humiliation of Ukrainians, and would destroy the independent statehood of Ukraine. There are many examples in the history of Ukrainian-Russian relations where concessions to the Kremlin leadership have encouraged the aggressor to make even greater demands.
Ukraine's desire for a just peace is incompatible with capitulation to the terms of the aggressor and must be based on generally recognized rules of international law. Therefore, the foundation for Ukraine's national position in the negotiations should be:
1. Russia launched and continues armed aggression against Ukraine, occupying the Crimea peninsula and parts of the Donetsk region and the Luhansk region. As a result of Russian aggression, tens of thousands of Ukrainians were killed or maimed, and millions of our citizens were forced to flee their homes or wallow under occupation. Ukraine suffers not from an "internal Ukrainian conflict" but from Russia's armed aggression and its aftermath.
2. The liberation of occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk regions is inseparable from the occupation of Crimea. In Crimea and the Donbas, the aggressor is but one, the nature of aggression is identical, the violations of international law and human rights and freedoms are the same. All territories occupied by Russia must be returned to Ukraine together and simultaneously.
3. The Kremlin must release all Ukrainians who are illegally held in Russia and the territories it occupies.
4. Elections for local municipalities or to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine may not be held in occupied territories.
5. All Russian occupation forces should unconditionally withdraw from Ukrainian territory.
6. Ukraine should regain full control of the entire internationally recognized Ukrainian-Russian State Border.
7. The Ukrainian territories liberated from Russian occupation cannot have any special status that would call into question the unitary structure of Ukraine.
8. Russia is responsible for aggression against Ukraine and the occupation of Ukrainian territories.
9. Ukraine must demand full reparation for the damage caused by aggression and occupation and the punishment of perpetrators of international criminal offenses.
10. Peace cannot be achieved at the cost of Ukraine's commitment to its Euro-Atlantic civilizational choice including membership in NATO and the European Union.
All of these provisions should be key elements of Ukraine's position in any negotiation format. We call upon the President of Ukraine to embrace this position. The Head of State must be aware that the Ukrainian people will not accept a humiliating peace and will resist any attempt to impose capitulation on the Kremlin’s terms.
Kyiv,
September 17, 2019
This statement also was signed by: the staff of the film association "Babylon'13";
members of the international intelligence volunteer community Informformpalm;
the staff of the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center; the staff of the Border Public Initiative;
and the staff of the Ukrainian Strategic Initiative.
The appeal is open for signing, the list will be constantly updated. If you support this appeal, please email: center.opad@gmail.com
