Four years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we must keep up the pressure to achieve a just and lasting peace
Four years have passed since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Four years of suffering, loss of life, scarred cities.
And even more important: The world witnesses four years of incredible Ukrainian resistance, unspoiled dignity and unwavering commitment to sovereignty and freedom.
In these days of commemoration, our thoughts go first to the Ukrainian people. To the separated families, to the displaced children, to the civilians who, despite the bombings and the deprivations are refusing to give up their future and their country.
Ukraine’s courage proves all of us that the core principles enshrined in the UN Charter sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law are the very foundations of peace.
These essential principles are supported by a large majority of states, as evidenced by the adoption by 107 votes of a UN General Assembly resolution for a lasting peace in Ukraine on Tuesday 24 February of this week.
By attacking Ukraine, Russia has chosen to profoundly destabilize the international system.
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine also impacts strongly on the international level, particularly in Africa. The sharp rise in agricultural commodity prices linked to the war has fueled dramatic food inflation in many African countries.
In addition, Russia has set up a large-scale deception system aimed at unknowingly recruiting African fighters. Moscow lures citizens from African countries to then use as “cannon fodder” on the Russian front line. Several hundred nationals of the region, including Ethiopians as well as Kenyans, are victims, and many of them have paid with their lives. The recent arrest at the ethiopian border in Kenya of Festus Omwamba, alleged to be a key figure in a trafficking network that sent over a thousand Kenyans to Russia under false promises of civilian employment before they were forced into military service, illustrates the concrete and alarming scale of these practices.
Similarly, Russia is misusing social media influencers to spuriously recruit African women into Russian hardware factories. Under false promises, the “Alabuga Start” program has helped recruit young African women into drone factories in Tatarstan, where they are exposed to indecent working conditions.
France, Germany and Europe have responded with determination and through economic sanctions of historic magnitude. Within four years, the European sanctions have severely restricted the industrial and technological capabilities of the Russian military apparatus and cut off Russia’s access to international funding and strategic components
While Ukraine is ready to negotiate for a just and lasting peace, Russia only insists on its maximalist demands. Even during the most recent round of talks, Russia has intensified its aggression with indiscriminatory attacks on critical infrastructure causing tremendous sufferings of the civilian population. However, Ukrainians continue to show incredible resilience while facing constant brutality.
Supporting Ukraine remains our collective responsibility. France, Germany and the European Union will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.
Because beyond a just and lasting peace in Ukraine it is the credibility of our international order and the dignity of our common values that are at stake.
(Birgitt Ory, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Permanent Observer to the African Union. Alexis Lamek, Ambassador of the French Republic to Ethiopia and Representative of France to the African Union.)
Contributed by Birgitt Ory (Amb.) & Alexis Lamek (Amb.)
