As the leader of the free world prepares to sit down with a murderous, indicted war criminal, the AFUO stands with the Ukrainian World Congress – Свiтовий Конґрес Українців and the global Ukrainian diaspora community in reaffirming core principles for peace and justice:
- Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine – Ukraine must be an equal party to any negotiations.
- Respect for sovereignty and borders – Handing over land or economic advantages to an aggressor tramples international law and the rules-based order.
- Ceasefire as a precondition for negotiations
- Real security guarantees – Ukraine needs long-term security commitments to bolster its self-defence and deterrence capabilities.
- Ongoing global support – Any peace process must be matched by sustained military, economic, and political backing.
- Sanctions until justice – Keep sanctions in place until russia fully withdraws and faces accountability.
- Prosecution of war crimes – Those behind the more than 160,000 registered atrocities must face international justice.
- Reparations and restitution – russia must pay for the billions of dollars of destruction it has caused, and compensate families of the killed and wounded.
- The return of abducted children & POWs – Over 35,000 kidnapped Ukrainian children and thousands of civilian and military POWs must be freed immediately.
As Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko wrote in today’s Australian Financial Review, backing Ukraine is firmly in Australia’s national interest: http://bit.ly/4mCBi6u
From North Korean troops on the battlefield, to Chinese and North Korean dual-use goods powering russia’s war machine, to Indonesia–russia naval exercises – putin’s war threatens stability across the Asia–Pacific.
Allowing russia to keep territory seized through an illegal, unprovoked invasion, and maintained under a brutal occupation, sets a dangerous precedent for others in our region with territorial ambitions.
Peace built on justice is the only peace worth having – anything less rewards aggression and endangers us all.
