Europeans #StandwithUkraine

We, the undersigned, Europeans from all over our continent who are members of the European Council on Foreign Relations, stand resolutely in solidarity with the people of Ukraine

February 24, 2022, Munich, Bavaria, Germany: Joining countless demonstrations around the world, Russians, Ukranians, Germans, and people from throughout the world met near the Russian Consulate of Munich, Germany to protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Many in attendance drew attention to the EU having not dealt with Putin nor Lukashenko of Belarus, both of whom are the belligerents in this war. The Ukrainian community has issued a warning to the world to finally take the Russian threat of expansion seriously and maintain Putin will not stop. (Credit Image: © Sachelle Babbar/ZUMA Press Wire
Protesters gather near the Russian Consulate in Munich last Thursday
Image by Sachelle Babbar / ZUMAPRESS.com / picture alliance
©

The Russian government has, without provocation, invaded a sovereign democratic nation at the heart of Europe. The Putin regime is, in the words of Martin Kimani, the Kenyan Ambassador to the UN, “stoking the embers of dead empires”. We, the undersigned, Europeans from all over our continent who are members of the European Council on Foreign Relations, stand resolutely in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in their effort to resist this re-colonisation. Their fight is our fight. Their future lies in Europe with us, as Europeans among Europeans. We call on all our governments to #StandWithUkraine by:

  • Denouncing Putin’s aggression and exposing his lies: We must expose Putin’s lies and denounce his crimes in every international forum. We need to loudly proclaim that the Putin regime has blatantly violated the most fundamental European norms and laws of international conduct.
  • Sanctioning the Putin regime: We must impose the harshest possible sanctions on Putin and all the pillars of his regime. We need to expel all Russian intelligence personnel from all EU countries.
  • Supporting the freedom and safety of Ukrainians: We must provide for Ukrainians in their time of need by sending all kinds of aid to all those who can remain in Ukraine and offering refuge to those who cannot. We must also cancel Ukraine’s debt and allow Ukrainians special dispensation to work in the European Union.
  • Sharing the burden within Europe: European states must support each other in their efforts to stand with Ukraine. Unity and solidarity are our strengths. No EU state should have to bear the burdens of supporting Ukraine alone.We need to share the costs of sanctions, help each other to develop alternatives to Russian energy, and welcome Ukrainian refugees in every part of Europe.

Signatories

  1. Douglas Alexander – former Secretary of State for International Development
  2. Joaquín Almunia – Chair, Centre for European Policy Studies; former Vice-President of the European Commission 
  3. José M. de Areilza – Secretary General, Aspen Institute Spain
  4. Senem Aydın-Düzgit – Professor of International Relations, Sabanci University; Academic Affairs Coordinator, Istanbul Policy Centre
  5. Claudia Azevedo – CEO, Sonae
  6. Thomas Bagger – Director-General for Foreign Affairs, Office of the Federal President of Germany
  7. Gordon Bajnai – former Prime Minister of Hungary
  8. Lluís Bassets – Journalist and former Deputy Director, El País
  9. Carl Bildt – Co-Chair, ECFR; former Prime Minister of Sweden
  10. Anu Bradford – Henry L. Moses Professor of Law and International Organization & Director, European Legal Studies Center, Columbia Law School
  11. Sandra Breka  – CEO, Robert Bosch Stiftung
  12. Han ten Broeke – Director of Political Affairs, The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies
  13. John Bruton – former Prime Minister of Ireland
  14. Alistair Burt – Pro-Chancellor, Lancaster University; former Minister of State for the Middle East  
  15. Ditmir Bushati – Member of Parliament; former Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania
  16. Reinhard Bütikofer – Member of the European Parliament
  17. Isabel Capeloa Gil  – Rector, Catholic University of Portugal
  18. Gunilla Carlsson – former Deputy Director, UNAIDS; former Minister for International Development Cooperation
  19. Maria Cattaui – Member of the Global Board, OSF; former Secretary General, International Chamber of Commerce
  20. Dita Charanzová – Vice-President, European Parliament
  21. Céline Charveriat – Executive Director, Institute for European Environment Policy
  22. Ian Clarkson – Board Member, ECFR; Founder, Celerant Consulting
  23. Robert Cooper – former Ambassador and Special Adviser, European External Action Service
  24. Lucinda Creighton – CEO, Vulcan Consulting; former Minister for European Affairs of Ireland
  25. Srdjan Darmanovic – former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro
  26. Marta Dassù – Board Member, ECFR; Senior Advisor Europe, The Aspen Institute; Editor-in-Chief, Aspenia
  27. Julia De Clerck-Sachsse – Senior Non-Resident Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States
  28. Tibor Dessewffy – President, DEMOS Hungary
  29. Anna Diamantopoulou – President, DIKTIO – Network for Reform in Greece and Europe
  30. Nikola Dimitrov – former Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs of North Macedonia
  31. Klara Dobrev – Member of the European Parliament
  32. Sorin Ducaru – Director, European Union Satellite Centre; former NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges
  33. Piero Fassino – Chairman of Foreign and European Affairs committee, Italian Chamber of Deputies
  34. Karin Forseke – Non-Executive Director, Greater Than AB
  35. Lykke Friis – Co-Chair, ECFR; Director, Taenketanken Europa
  36. Timothy Garton Ash – Professor of European Studies, University of Oxford
  37. Carlos Gaspar – Member of the Board of Directors, Portuguese Institute of International Relations 
  38. Anthony Giddens – Life Fellow, University of Cambridge
  39. Arancha González Laya – Dean, Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po Paris; former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain
  40. José Manuel González-Páramo – President, European DataWarehouse
  41. Teresa Gouveia – Board Member, ECFR; former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal
  42. Heather Grabbe – Director, Open Society European Policy Institute
  43. Alexander Graf Lambsdorff – Member of the Bundestag; Deputy Chair of the FDP
  44. Charles Grant – Director, Centre for European Reform
  45. Jean-Marie Guéhenno – former President & CEO, International Crisis Group; former UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations
  46. István Gyarmati – President and CEO, International Centre for Democratic Transition
  47. Fabienne Hara – Secretary General, Paris Peace Forum
  48. Connie Hedegaard – former European Commissioner for Climate Action
  49. Anna Herrhausen – Executive Director, Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft
  50. Christoph Heusgen – Chairman of Munich Security Conference; former Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations
  51. Toomas Hendrik Ilves – former President of Estonia
  52. Wolfang Ischinger – Ambassador; Chair, Munich Security Conference
  53. Carin Jämtin – Director General, Swedish International Development Cooperation Authority
  54. Diana Janse – Senior Fellow, Stockholm Free World Forum
  55. Jo Johnson – Chair, TES Global; former Minister for Universities and Science
  56. Zeljko Jovanovic – Director, Roma Initiative Office, Open Society Foundations
  57. Rasa Juknevičienė – Member of the European Parliament; former Minister of Defence of Lithuania
  58. Eva Kaili – Vice-President, European Parliament
  59. Mary Kaldor – Professor, London School of Economics
  60. Bahadir Kaleagasi – President, Paris Bosphorus Institute 
  61. Sandra Kalniete  – Member of the European Parliament; former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia
  62. Lea Kašpar – Executive Director, Global Partners Digital
  63. Sylvie Kauffmann – Board Member, ECFR; Editorial Director, Le Monde
  64. Piia-Noora Kauppi – Managing Director, Federation of Finnish Financial Services
  65. Roderich Kiesewetter – Member of the Bundestag
  66. Suat Kınıklıoğlu – Senior Fellow, Center for Applied Turkey Studies
  67. Riina Kionka – Ambassador of Estonia; Head of the EU Delegation to South Africa
  68. Bassma Kodmani – former Executive Director, Arab Reform Initiative
  69. Bert Koenders – former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
  70. David Koranyi – Senior Adviser on City Diplomacy, Office of the Mayor of Budapest; Senior Fellow for Energy Diplomacy, Atlantic Council; Energy Policy Adviser, UN DESA
  71. Ivan Krastev – Chair of the Board, Centre for Liberal Strategies
  72. Brigid Laffan – Director, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute
  73. Sergey Lagodinsky – Member of the European Parliament 
  74. Pascal Lamy – President, Paris Peace Forum; former Director-General, WTO
  75. Remzi Lani – Director, Albanian Media Institute
  76. Martina Larkin – Senior Advisor to the Chair and President, World Economic Forum 
  77. Mark Leonard – Director, European Council on Foreign Relations
  78. Sonia Licht – President, Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence
  79. Maria Livanos Cattaui – Member of the Global Board, OSF; former Secretary General, International Chamber of Commerce
  80. Javi López – Member of the European Parliament
  81. Leiv Lunde – Senior Advisor on Asia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden
  82. Cecilia Malmström – former European Commissioner for Trade
  83. Katarina Mathernova – Deputy Director General, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission
  84. Eva Maydell – Member of the European Parliament
  85. David McAllister – Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee, European Parliament
  86. David McNair – Executive Director for Global Policy, ONE Campaign
  87. Anand Menon – Director, UK in a Changing Europe
  88. Dario Mihelin – Ambassador of Croatia to China
  89. David Miliband – President and CEO, International Rescue Committee
  90. Enrique Mora – Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs, Political Director, European External Action Service
  91. Susan Morgan – Freelance Consultant
  92. Isabel Mota – President of the Board of Trustees, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
  93. Matthias Nass – Chief International Correspondent, DIE ZEIT
  94. Kalypso Nicolaidis – Chair and Professor of International Affairs, School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute
  95. Natalie Nougayrède – Columnist and leader writer, The Guardian
  96. Delphine O – Secretary General, UN Women Global Forum, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  97. Christine Ockrent – Journalist and Presenter of Affaires Etrangères, France Culture Radio
  98. Hanna Ojanen – Research Director, Tampere University
  99. Andrzej Olechowski – Board Member, ECFR; former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland
  100. Dick Oosting – Chair of the Board, Asylos; former Europe Director, Amnesty International
  101. Mabel van Oranje – Global Champion, Girls Not Brides – The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage
  102. Constatijn van Oranje – Special Envoy, StartupDelta; Director for Digital Technology & Macro Strategy, Macro Advisory Partners
  103. Andrés Ortega – Senior Research Fellow, Real Instituto Elcano
  104. Marc Otte – Senior Associate Fellow, Egmont Institute; Vice-President, European Institute for Peace; former EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process
  105. Žaneta Ozoliņa – Professor, University of Latvia
  106. Monika Panayotova – CEO, Inno Advisers; former Deputy Minister for the Bulgarian EU Council Presidency
  107. Mauro Petriccione – Director-General, Directorate-General for Climate Action, European Commission
  108. Kauppi Piia-Noora – Managing Director, Federation of Finnish Financial Services
  109. Kati Piri – Dutch Member of Parliament
  110. Lilianne Ploumen – Dutch Member of Parliament & Leader of the Labour Party
  111. Julian Popov – Fellow, European Climate Foundation
  112. Charles Powell – Director, Real Instituto Elcano
  113. Vesna Pusić – former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia
  114. Lia Quartapelle – Italian Member of Parliament
  115. Kristi Raik – Director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute, International Centre for Defence and Security
  116. Rémy Rioux – CEO, Agence Française de Développement
  117. José María Robles Fraga – Ambassador of Spain to Lithuania
  118. Alex Romero – Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Constella Intelligence
  119. Norbert Röttgen – Co-Chair, ECFR; Member of the Bundestag
  120. Janet Royall – Principal, Somerville College, University of Oxford; former Leader of the House of Lords
  121. Nicolò Russo Perez – Head, International Affairs Programme, Compagnia di San Paolo
  122. Daniel Sachs – CEO, Proventus
  123. Patrycja Sasnal – Head of Research, Polish Institute of International Affairs 
  124. Klaus Scharioth – Dean, Mercator Fellowship on International Affairs
  125. Caroline Schmutte – Head of European Government Relations, Wellcome Trust
  126. Daniela Schwarzer – Executive Director for Europe and Eurasia, Open Society Foundations
  127. Narcís Serra – President, Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals; former Deputy Prime Minister of Spain
  128. Radmila Shekerinska – former Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia
  129. Maria Sicilia Salvadores – Strategy Director, Enagas S.A.
  130. Aleksander Smolar – former President of the Board, Stefan Batory Foundation
  131. Erna Solberg – Member of Parliament; former Prime Minister of Norway
  132. Alex Soros – Deputy Chair, Open Society Foundations
  133. George Soros  – Founder and Chair, Open Society Foundations
  134. Svilen Spassov – Businessman and Publisher
  135. Volker Stanzel – former Ambassador of Germany to China and Japan
  136. Andris Strazds – Advisor, Bank of Latvia
  137. Sabine Stricker-Kellerer – Lawyer, SSK Asia
  138. Hannes Swoboda – President, International Institute for Peace
  139. Anna Terrón Cusí – Director, International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies
  140. Helle Thorning-Schmidt – Board Member, Vestas; former Prime Minister of Denmark; former CEO, Save the Children
  141. Henrik Thune – State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway
  142. Nathalie Tocci – Director, Istituto Affari Internazionali
  143. Andreas Treichl – Chair, ERSTE Foundation; President, European Forum Alpbach
  144. Erkki Tuomioja – Vice-Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee; former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland
  145. Sinan Ulgen – Chair, Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies
  146. Vygaudas Usackas – former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania
  147. Justin Vaïsse – Director General, Paris Peace Forum; former Director of Policy Planning, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  148. Tomáš Valášek – Chair, European Affairs Committee, National Council of the Slovak Republic
  149. Ivan Vejvoda – Acting Rector & Head of the Europe’s Futures Programme, Institute for Human Sciences
  150. Romana Vlahutin – Ambassador at Large for Connectivity, European External Action Service
  151. Ivan Vuković  – Mayor of Podgorica
  152. Johann Wadephul – Member of the Bundestag; Deputy Chair of the CDU/CSU 
  153. Maria Weimer – former Swedish Member of Parliament
  154. Geir Westgaard – Vice President, Political and Public Affairs, Equinor
  155. Sabine Weyand – Director-General, Directorate-General for Trade, European Commission
  156. Karolina Wigura – Member of the Board, Kultura Liberalna Foundation
  157. Andre Wilkens – Director, European Cultural Foundation
  158. Maciej Witucki – President, Konfederacja Lewiatan
  159. Karla Wursterova – Ambassador of Slovakia to Italy
  160. Samuel Žbogar – Ambassador of Slovenia; former Head of the EU Delegation to North Macedonia; former Minister of Foreign Affairs

The European Council on Foreign Relations does not take collective positions. ECFR publications only represent the views of their individual authors.

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