Ukraine - Joint Declaration by the ministers for Foreign Affairs of France, Germany and Poland - (Łódź, 01 Mar. 2022)
On the occasion of the meeting of the “Weimar Triangle” in Łódź, we, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Germany, France and Poland condemn in the strongest possible words the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by armed forces of the Russian Federation in a flagrant breach of UN Charter. We also condemn the involvement of Belarus in this aggression against Ukraine and call on Minsk to abide by its international obligations.
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is the most serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades. We deplore the tragic loss of life, enormous human suffering and destruction caused by Russia’s actions.
We demand Russian authorities to cease military operations immediately and unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine.
We reiterate our steadfast support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
We welcome the swift, united and determined reaction of the European Union and all its Member States through the adoption of new and wide-ranging restrictive measures. These unprecedented sanctions, coordinated with our partners and allies, commensurate with the scale of the violations of international law and the founding principles of European security, will have profound and long-lasting consequences for Russia.
Poland, France and Germany welcomed unity and trust demonstrated by the Transatlantic community in the past weeks in seeking a diplomatic outcome. Our countries, together with other Allies, stand united to defend one another in accordance with Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. Poland, France and Germany will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure the security and defence of all Allies. We have taken measures to strengthen our contribution to deterrence and defense posture in the eastern part of the Alliance and are prepared to respond to any contingencies. Our measures are and remain preventive, proportionate and non-escalatory.
We remain gravely concerned that Russian military aggression may endanger lives of Ukrainian people and our nationals who remain in Ukraine as well as the safety and security of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission’s personnel some of whom remain in Ukraine. We hold Russia responsible for their safety.
We acknowledge the European aspirations and the European choice of Ukraine. We express our readiness to support Ukraine, its government and its people in this existentially difficult moment, be it financially, economically, by providing military equipment and in the humanitarian dimension, , as well as by sending strong political signals at all possible levels bilaterally and in international organizations. In this regard we commend the adoption on 27 of February by the Council of the European Union of a decisions establishing a €500 million assistance measures under the European Peace Facility in support of Ukraine that will contribute to strengthening the capabilities and resilience of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
We reaffirm the commitment of Poland, France and Germany to strengthening the political association and economic integration of Ukraine with the European Union and its internal market. We express our support for NATO’s open door policy as well as its political and practical cooperation with Ukraine in defense area in order to assist Ukraine in developing its capabilities and resilience. Our countries stand by the people of Ukraine and its democratically elected institutions and representatives.
France, Poland, and Germany, as countries currently playing the leading role respectively as the EU Presidency, OSCE Chairmanship, and G7 Presidency, share a special responsibility in maintaining peace, stability, and prosperity on the European continent. We underscore that diplomacy is still an appropriate way forward in the current security situation. We deplore Russia’s denial and rejection of all diplomatic efforts including in the OSCE. We re-affirm our position that the principles enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act and subsequent OSCE documents remain the fundament of the security architecture in Europe. In the OSCE area as elsewhere, nothing can justify resorting to armed violence and aggression against sovereign States to address geopolitical tensions.