While the day marks the second year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the war of aggression started in 2014, when Russia temporarily occupied the Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula and invaded Ukraine’s eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Sovereignty and territorial integrity are the cornerstone of international order; Russia wages a neo-colonial war against a sovereign member of the international community. Russia also proved that it cannot be trusted, it turns against its own legal obligations, international or bilateral agreements, whenever it wants to push its interest, it does not hesitate to use military force to achieve what it wants disregarding UN Charter and international law. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine creates a dangerous precedent for the rest of the world; it must be stopped.

EU Delegation Tajikistan

The Russian invasion is a blatant violation of international law, a direct threat on peace and security, primarily in Europe, and an unacceptable challenge to economic stability, energy and food security.

Russia’s February 2022 attack intended to destroy the Ukrainian state within weeks. Two years later, Ukraine is still standing and fighting back, having liberated more than half of the newly occupied territories. Ukraine manages to safeguard its exports and contribute to global food security [in spite of Russian blockades, missiles and unilateral pull out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative]. Even under permanent drone and missile attacks, Ukrainians remain resilient and continue to rebuild, reform and invest in their future.

No one wants peace more than Ukraine, which is actively working with over 80 countries to achieve a just peace. Ukraine’s Peace Formula is the only peace initiative discussed in the international community and supported by the European Union. A peaceful Ukraine can be an innovative powerhouse, a security provider and a reliable partner for energy and food security, for Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan.

EU Delegation Tajikistan

Russia has no intention of ceasing armed aggression, withdrawing its occupation troops from Ukraine, or pursuing diplomatic solutions. The Russian President Putin continues to send thousands of men into battle, hoping to achieve at least some minor success ahead of the "presidential elections" in March. Russia also continues to launch missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to critical infrastructure.

The European Union and its Member States will continue to do what it takes for as long as it takes for Ukraine to prevail. Supporting Ukraine now and enabling Ukraine defending its territorial integrity is the best way to guarantee the security of future generations. Only unity and resolve are effective in resisting the aggressor.

EU Delegation Tajikistan

The fight of freedom against tyranny is undergoing a crucial moment and require, more than ever, our commitment, our solidarity and our unity.

The Embassies of the French Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany to the Republic of Tajikistan associated themselves with this Joint Statement.