NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg meets with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council Charles Michel at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium Feb. 24, 2022. (Credit: NATO.int)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
NATO and the European Union Thursday condemned Russia’s invasion in Ukraine in the “strongest possible terms” and called on Moscow to immediately cease its military action. NATO held an emergency meeting of the North Atlantic Council to respond to Russia’s “unjustified and unprovoked attack” on Ukraine.
“Russia has attacked Ukraine. This is a brutal act of war. Our thoughts are with the brave people of Ukraine. Peace in our continent has been shattered. We now have war in Europe, on a scale and of a type we thought belong to history. Russia is attempting to turn back the clock by force. To re-establish a sphere of influence. And to undermine the global rules that have kept Europe safe for decades. NATO and the EU stand united.”
-NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
EU Prepared For Influx of Ukrainian Refugees
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (Twitter.com)
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission said the EU is prepared to assist Ukraine cope with internally displaced people as a result of Russia’s military invasion, as neighboring countries are going to see influx of refugees in the next days and weeks.
“Indeed, we have worked for weeks to be prepared for the worst to come, hoping for the best but being prepared for the worst. And this was concerning strengthening our resilience in the cyber field, making sure that we can be independent of any kind of pressure from Russian gas supplies. We have reached that stage, and indeed to prepare for potential refugees. We have now, with all the frontline member states, explicit contingency plans to welcome and host immediately those refugees from Ukraine. On top, there will be financial support increased for Ukraine, on top of the 1.2 billion macro financial assistance, which is available right now. So the preparedness is fully alerted, and we hope that there will be as little as possible refugees, but we are fully prepared for them and they are welcome.”
-President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen
von der Leyen added that the EU is “intensively” working on the energy security of Ukraine. “Over the last years we have basically been able to guarantee the energy security of Ukraine through reverse flow, for example of gas, but also investing massively in building up a renewable sector. Right now, Ukraine is decoupling its electricity grid from the Russian electricity grid and we stand ready to support them in case there are any kind of difficulties. This is not easy. This is not trivial. This is much earlier than we had planned. But this shows that there’s an enormous amount of support for our friends in Ukraine.”
The EU and NATO also condemned Belarus for “enabling” the attack, contending that it further violates Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and contravenes the Minsk agreements, to which Russia is a signatory. They added that Russia’s actions pose a serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security, and will have geostrategic consequences.
“We urge Russia in the strongest terms to turn back from the path of violence and aggression it has chosen. Russia’s leaders must bear full responsibility for the consequences of their actions. Russia will pay a very heavy economic and political price. NATO will continue to coordinate closely with relevant stakeholders and other international organisations including the EU.”
-North Atlantic Council statement
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