The European Union and the G7 reaffirmed their support for Ukraine a year after the Russian invasion: “To win the peace, you have to win the war”

The West continues to send strong messages to Vladimir Putin. This Friday, on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Union (EU) reaffirmed its support for Kyiv, underlined the international community’s joint response to Moscow’s aggression and announced that the cooperation will continue until we reach “a just and lasting peace”.

Ambassadors of European Union Member States accredited to Argentina (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland , Portugal, Romania, Sweden) met at the headquarters of the continental bloc in Buenos Aires with the Chargé d’Affaires of Ukraine -Sergiy Nebrat- and with the heads of mission of the G7 and related countries, such as Australia, Georgia and Norway, to condemn the “unwarranted” Russian invasion.

At a conference he attended GlobeLiveMedia, Amador Sánchez Rico, European Union Ambassador to Argentina, said the EU and its partners are working together to achieve “peace” in Ukraine. But he clarified: “Obviously, we are calling for peace, but we are calling for a just peace, a lasting peace, a comprehensive peace, that is what was voted at the United Nations. And to win that peace, you have to win the war.”

In this sense, he contradicted those who maintain that to put an end to the armed conflict, we must stop helping kyiv: “It’s the opposite, we have to give much more to Ukraine and much more quickly so that it ends as soon as possible. Because it’s a totally illegal war against Putin. All we want is for Ukraine to prevail, to survive, a democratic, sovereign Ukraine, with all its territorial integrity; a Ukraine that expels the invader, and the rules-based international order prevails.

Regarding the 12 months of war, the Spanish diplomat considered that the most important thing is “to see what did not happen, and what many predicted”. In this regard, he recalled that many thought that the Russian military incursion would last two days: “And here we are, with a series of defeats on all fronts for President Putin.

“They also predicted that the European Union was not going to be united enough to deal with what is happening. We are closer than ever. They predicted that the European Union was not going to unite with its transatlantic partners and we are here to prove otherwise,” he added.

He also appreciated the resistance of the Ukrainian army, saying that it “is more courageous than ever”.

Sánchez Rico argued that in addition to the lack of results on the battlefield, Russia has reaped diplomatic failureslike Thursday’s vote at the UN General Assembly, where Moscow received 141 votes against and only 5 for.

In his speech, he also highlighted the Western sanctions policy. As he pointed out, These measures “have the effects we wanted”“Russia’s trade and economic deficit has never been so high. Russia is 50% dependent on EU technology; At present, 80% of its automotive and aeronautical factories are without capacity”.

Hiroshi Yamauchi, Japan’s Ambassador to Argentina, spoke on behalf of the G7, since the Asian country holds the forum’s pro-tempore presidency, and warned that Ukraine’s partners will continue to impose sanctions against the Russian Federation “to counter their illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory”. He also recalled that the international community was confronted with disinformation campaigns promoted by the Kremlin, and accused Moscow of using energy and food “as weapons, causing suffering to the world population”.

“The G7 and international partners have supported Ukraine through regional, bilateral and multilateral actions. We pledge to continue to provide financial, military, humanitarian and development assistance as needed. And we reaffirm our full support for the overall territorial independence and sovereignty of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders; and their rights to defend themselves against Russian aggression and regain full control of their territory,” he added.

Serge NebratFor his part, he said that “today is a sad day” and said that Putin’s intention from the moment he started the invasion is “destroy the whole country, occupy the whole territory and think of a new empire”“We fought in an anti-colonial war”. In this sense, Sánchez Rico considered that the head of the Kremlin is “moved by greedy neocolonialist imperialist aspirations”.

Asked by this means if Putin seeks to involve the Asian giant in the war in Ukraine, Nebrat replied that Kremlin chief ‘seeks all allies, not just China’: “In North Korea, in Iran… It is well known that he used Iranian Shaheed 136 drones against Ukraine, killing children and women.”

“About China, I can say, in my opinion, that it is unreasonable to be at war with Russia. China maintains very good economic relations with all the countries of the world. War would complicate that,” he added.

And concluded: “In my opinion, China will not be at war. We’re going to work with everyone to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Japan’s ambassador to Argentina urged all countries that support an international order – “including Argentina” – to Demand that the Russian Federation “put an end to this flagrant violation of international law and be held accountable”.

Nebrat acknowledged that in the first months of the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian government “hoped for more support” from Argentina, but highlighted and thanked the humanitarian aid sent by Buenos Aires and the votes in favor of Kiev in the international organisations: “In the first months, we expected more support from the Argentine government. Now I can say that we are satisfied with the humanitarian aid. With the help of the Chancellery and the White Helmets. We have 12 humanitarian aid items. Voting in favor of our resolutions is also very important for Argentina. We will do more to end this terrible Russian war as soon as possible.”

The country’s charge d’affaires affirmed that the arrival of an ambassador in the country will strengthen the bilateral relations between the two nations: “We will work with Argentina to end this war.”

Asked about Latin America’s response to the Russian invasion, Sánchez Rico pointed out that “it is the region that has most practically unanimously condemned the invasion in multilateral forums”. “You just have to look at the voting patterns and compare them with other continents. Just look at yesterday’s vote at the UN, where it’s the only part of the world where everyone voted against Russia, with some exceptional abstentions.”

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