The Diplomat
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, assured yesterday that Spain will continue to support Ukraine “as long as necessary” and opposed any solution to the conflict that “validates aggression or annexation by force” such as the one perpetrated by Russia.
Sánchez made these statements during his speech at the opening plenary session of the Peace Conference for Ukraine held in Lucerne (Switzerland), which is attended this weekend by nearly a hundred countries and international organizations, including the Ukrainian president, Volodimir. Zelensky, but from which Russia has been absent.
“Spain will continue to support Ukraine as long as necessary, because there is something clear in this conflict: there is an aggressor, who is (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, and there is a victim, who is the people of Ukraine. In all cases In conflicts we must defend the victim and stop the aggressor,” said the head of the Executive.
After describing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “military aggression”, he pointed out that it is “a clear violation of International Law and the principles of the UN Charter, including those of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.”
Sánchez honored “the heroism and resilience of the people of Ukraine and their Government in the defense of their country”, and recalled that the conflict has caused global consequences, such as “a terrible humanitarian crisis” that “has worsened a global food crisis that harms especially the weakest.”
And he alluded to the “fear of the nuclear catastrophe that we thought we would never see again,” calling nuclear threats “unacceptable.”
The President of the Government indicated that this war cannot be blamed “on the West, on NATO”, and defended that basic rules must be applied to maintain peaceful coexistence between countries.
“There are very simple rules, such as, for example, that a country cannot invade its neighbor, it cannot annex the territory of another country by force. If we do not act according to these rules and we do not defend them forcefully, there is no order “Chaos would drag our world to the rule of whoever is stronger. And this is simply not acceptable,” he stressed.
Sánchez sent an “unequivocal” message that countries are “united by core values, such as respect for the sovereignty of each and every one, their independence and their territorial integrity, which International Law and International Humanitarian Law are applicable.” always and must always be respected”.
“They are universal principles that we must defend forcefully, with coherence and consistency, in all places, at any time, regardless of who is involved,” he added.
According to the President of the Government, “principles are principles and therefore are not negotiable” and the foundations must be laid for an “equitable and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
Sánchez rejected that peace involves “a solution that validates aggression or annexation by force”, since “it will not last and will only lead to a more unstable and dangerous world.”
“We hope that this meeting will help generate that consensus to eventually reach a solution in the future with all parties involved, including Russia. The time has come to provide a just and lasting peace that Ukraine and the world deserve,” he concluded.
