FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 16, 2025

On August 15, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) welcomes President Trump’s clear and unequivocal call for an unconditional ceasefire as a first step toward ending Russia’s war of aggression and pursuing a just and lasting peace. This proposal, rooted in humanitarian urgency and international law, was immediately accepted by Ukraine. Russia, however, refused.

President Putin’s refusal to endorse the ceasefire at the Alaska summit was not diplomacy it was defiance. On the very day of the meeting, Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on Ukrainian civilians in Sumy, Donetsk, Chernihiv, and Dnipropetrovsk. This act of aggression makes clear: Putin does not want peace, he wants control. His rejection of an unconditional ceasefire shows that diplomacy without consequences only empowers the aggressor.

The Alaska summit brought no peace and no accountability. It gave Putin a stage for symbolic victories without real concessions. Handshakes and photo ops cannot replace meaningful action. The UWC warns that symbolic diplomacy, absent substance, allows autocrats to legitimize violence and prepare for more.

We call on leaders to:

– Reject performative diplomacy. Symbolism without substance emboldens aggressors and undermines the credibility of democratic institutions.

– Insist on accountability. Engagement must be contingent on measurable concessions, transparency, and respect for international law.

– Reaffirm democratic resolve. Red carpets for war criminals erode the credibility of the rules-based international order and betray the victims of aggression.

Ukraine’s struggle is not merely territorial, it is existential. Russia’s stated objective remains the destruction of Ukraine’s independence and the subjugation of its people under Russian imperial rule. This is not a conventional war over borders; it is a genocidal campaign aimed at erasing Ukrainian identity, culture, and sovereignty. That is why there can be no appeasement, no compromise, and no “pause” that allows Moscow to regroup. The only path to peace is through Ukraine’s victory and the defeat of Russian imperialism.

“The Alaska Summit offered Putin the optics of legitimacy without the burden of accountability,” said Paul Grod, President of the Ukrainian World Congress. “This is not diplomacy, it is indulgence. The free world must respond with clarity, courage, and conviction.”

History will not remember the smiles; it will remember the silence.

The UWC stresses that peace cannot be built on appeasement. There must be no reduction in sanctions or political pressure until Russia is held accountable, pays reparations, and faces justice for its war crimes. Anything less rewards impunity and signals weakness to other authoritarian regimes.

Russian assets must not only be frozen they must be confiscated and delivered to Ukraine’s reconstruction. This is not just a financial imperative but a moral one.

Sanctions must be ratcheted up to cripple Russia’s war machine, with strong secondary sanctions imposed on enablers, including corporations and states that facilitate Russian aggression.

Russia’s long history of lies from broken ceasefires to shredding the Budapest Memorandum proves no pledge or guarantee can be trusted. The international community must learn from past betrayals and act accordingly.

In 1994, Ukraine gave up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal in exchange for security guarantees from Russia, the U.S., and the U.K. Russia’s invasions in 2014 and 2022 shattered those promises. Any new assurances from Moscow are a smokescreen for continued aggression and must be rejected.

“Peace cannot be built on appeasement. Russia must face justice for its atrocities, return abducted Ukrainian children and Prisoners of War, and pay full reparations for the destruction it has caused. Until then, there can be no easing of sanctions or normalization. Anything else rewards Putin’s genocidal campaign,” said Paul Grod.

The UWC applauds European leaders for their August 16, 2025 statement reaffirming support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and justice. Their unity bolsters Ukraine and defends the rules-based international order against authoritarian threats.

Civil society remains steadfast. The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), a key UWC partner, emphasized in its August 15 statement that Russia’s crimes from child abductions to mass killings must be documented, condemned, and prosecuted as part of a coordinated campaign of terror.

The UWC also recognizes the vital advocacy of the European Congress of Ukrainians, the American Coalition for Ukraine, and others who amplify Ukraine’s voice and demand accountability, reparations, and justice.

Support from ordinary Americans during the Alaska Summit was equally powerful. Thousands rallied in Anchorage, waving blue and yellow flags and chanting “Alaska stands with Ukraine.” Their unity reflects a deep understanding of what’s at stake for Ukraine, democracy, and human rights worldwide.

This solidarity embodies moral clarity: Putin must be defeated, Ukraine must prevail, and justice must be served. The world must respond with action.

As reaffirmed in the UWC’s August 14 statement, the Congress reiterates:

– Nothing about Ukraine can be decided without Ukraine. Ukrainians must be the primary voice in any negotiation, and any “land for peace” swap would amount to forced subjugation of millions to genocidal occupation.

– No trust in empty ceasefires. Russia has violated every ceasefire and security guarantee it ever signed with Ukraine. Ceasefires without enforcement mechanisms are invitations to further aggression.

– Accountability and reparations are non-negotiable. Russia must be held liable for war crimes, face prosecution of its leaders, and pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine and rehabilitation of its people.

-Weapons and aid for Ukraine are essential. To end the killing, Ukraine must be provided with the military and economic means to defend its people and repel Russia’s aggression. This is not escalation it is protection.

The UWC stands firmly with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s principled position that peace cannot come at the expense of sovereignty, justice, or freedom. We call on him to stay the course and continue to demand accountability, reparations, and full restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. His leadership embodies the resilience and dignity of the Ukrainian people.

Russia’s goal has never changed: to conquer Ukraine and erase it as an independent nation. This is why appeasement is impossible. The only way to secure a just and lasting peace is through Ukraine’s victory and the defeat of Russian imperialism.

Ukraine’s struggle is not territorial it is existential. It is a fight for sovereignty, freedom, and the principles that underpin global stability. If Ukraine falls, the precedent will echo far beyond its borders.

Ukraine’s fight is the world’s fight. Let us not falter. Let us not forget. Let us act.