One Year of Russian Aggression & Ukrainian Defense – Joint Solidarity Event Conveys Strong Resolve of Thwarting the Invasion

Ambassador of USA H.E Donald Blome, Ambassador of Turkiye Dr Mehmet Pacaci were also present in the solidarity event. Ambassadors of Italy, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Belgium, Sweden, Bulgaria DHM of Romania and representatives of other EU countries participated in the event to express their solidarity with Ukraine. Pakistan’s Ambassador to Ukraine was also present.

A documentary was screened and a photo exhibition was also arranged on the consequences of the aggression. The documentary titled “Erase the Nation”, tells a story of a systematic and purposeful destruction of Ukrainian museums and cultural institutions by the Russian invading forces.Thousands of civilians including elderly people, women and children had been deprived of their precious lives so far while major infrastructure in many cities including capital Kiyv has been destroyed by Russian attacks. The scenes of destruction saddened the visitors.

EU Charge d Affairs Mr. Tomas Seiler in his address expressed full support to Ukraine for its membership. He said,

“Our common endeavor is peace, we listen it from UN, from USA from EU but we do not listen it from Russia and from Mr. Putin. We want to listen it from other world as well. We want to listen it from Pakistan as well. We need peace with diplomacy and it is good that this desire is present in Pakistan. International rules are to be respected. If one party does not respect the international rules , it leads to sanctions. EU is discussing the 10th package of sanctions. European Union has never imposed so much sanctions on one country. The sanctions have affected social life of Russia and trade as well. People in Russia are asking their government about sanctions. We are open for enlargement process. Eu never gives up. Ukraine is for Europe and future member of the Union.”

Ambassador of Republic of Poland H.E Maciej Pisarski said in his welcome address,

” We salute the Ukrainian people who have stood proud and tall in the face of a brutal, unprovoked and illegal onslaught. We mourn the dead – thousands of them. We pray for the injured, so they may overcome their physical and mental wounds and carry on with their life and the fight for their freedom and ours. We continue to help the refugees who lost their homes. And we continue to support the Ukrainian armed forces, so they can fight back.”

“Today, we are going to focus on yet another dimension of the ongoing war: a straggle for the preservation of the Ukrainian culture and its historical legacy. Attacks on cultural heritage sites or the looting of Ukrainian museums violates international law. It is actually a crime.”

“Even more importantly, it is about denying that the Ukrainian state is real and the Ukrainian people are real, so it is the Ukrainian national identity. To deny all these was a pronounced premise and justification given the Russian leadership for the war. If the aggressors can erase the past, they can also deny the future.”

“They can continue to pretend the Ukrainian state is not actually a sovereign and independent state – so there is no invasion against it.

They can perpetuate a false myth that the Ukrainian people are not a genuine nation and they are just a part of the Russian people, as the Ukrainian history is just a subset of the Russian history. Therefore, the destruction of the cultural heritage is not a coincidental consequence of the war or a part of its collateral damage. It is a conscious, planned and structured objective of the aggression.”

“It reveals a neocolonial nature of the Russian design for the future of Ukraine and a revisionist attitude towards the history.

“This event is a joint endeavor. We are proud to work together with the Ukrainian Embassy and the Delegation of the European Union.

We stand with Ukraine and we continue to believe that Ukraine’s victory is the path to peace, Ambassador Poland concluded.

Ambassador of Ukraine H. E. Markian Chuchuk shared the latest situationer of destruction caused by Russian invasion. He also expressed his strong resolve to defend the motherland and restore peace in the region.

Here are the excerpts of the speech of Ambassador Chuchuk:

“Unlike Russia we are not fighting for conquest, but for liberation. were thousands of civilians, including women, children and the elderly killed. About 15 million of refugees and IDPs have left their homes.Over 81 thousands of residential buildings, hospitals, kindergartens, schools, power stations and industrial facilities were destroyed or damaged by Russian bombs, misseles and drones. We are deeply grateful to all our allies and all peace-loving states of the world for their support in our fight against evil.”

“An unprovoked and unjust war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine has been going on for a year. Its consequences are terrible. Hundreds of thousands of military personnel lost their lives. It is an existential war for my country.

Ukraine exercises the inherent right of states for self-defense against the war in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.We are fighting for the right to exist and to have a future. We defend our freedom, our families, our land. And we cannot stop fighting until we completely liberate our country from the invaders”

” More weapons, particularly artillery and ammunition, tanks, long-range missiles, and fighter jets, are now required to drive the aggressor back to Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders and restore the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state. Ukraine uses international aid and weapons to defend its people and territory but not to attack another country.”

“This war is not only about Ukraine. Russia’s brutal attack destroyed global security and endangered all nations. Therefore it is not enough to win a war; it is more important to organize the peace.This war must end with the triumph of international law and the UN Charter. Justice must be restored for Ukraine, Europe, and the whole world. We must not only fight against the darkness but must also bring light to the world.”

“Every Russian war criminal must be punished. The establishment of the Special Tribunal will enable Russia’s political and military leadership to be prosecuted for the gravest crime, the crime of aggression.”

“It is well known that easier to make war than make peace. We do not ignore the difficult path to peace by diplomacy.We believe that the peace can be based on the Peace Formula presented by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the recent G20 summit.His action plan consists of 10 points and aims to restore respect for the UN Charter and the rules-based international order.”

“In his famous speech at UN General Assembly over 60 years ago the US President John Kennedy said: “Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind.”

Facing with Russian aggression, the world must remember this before it is too late.