Statement
by the Secretary General dr. Mantas Adomėnas
on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine

For three long years, the criminal despotic regime of Russia has waged war against Ukraine: a war of brazen imperialist aggression in which countless innocent Ukrainian lives have been destroyed, unimaginable atrocities have been committed by the Russian troops, some twenty thousand Ukrainian children have been abducted, and Ukraine’s cities, economy, and infrastructure have been devastated.

And yet, Ukrainians have not given up. Instead, they have inspired the world with incredible courage, resilience, and patriotism, tirelessly defending their homes, families, freedom, and democracy. In this fight, Ukraine has shown a deep and unique commitment to protecting democratic values and human rights. In extremely challenging wartime conditions, Ukraine demonstrated that it was better equipped to maintain democratic standards than did some democracies which enjoy the luxury of peace.

Therefore, it is my great honour that I invite Ukraine to start the process of assuming its rightful place among the free and democratic nations of the Community of Democracies.

Member States of the Community of Democracies Governing Council have supported Ukraine through various national and international mechanisms since the beginning of the invasion. Three years into the war, we continue to stand in unwavering solidarity with the Ukrainian people and their right to sovereignty, peace, and territorial integrity.

We are now at a crucial crossroads.

Unjust war must be stopped – yet not in order to buy an impermanent and undignified peace at the price of further injustice. In his address to Americans in 1938, after the ignominious Munich deal, the great war-time leader Winston Churchill asked: “Can peace, goodwill, and confidence be built upon submission to wrong-doing backed by force?… Has any benefit or progress ever been achieved by the human race by submission to organised and calculated violence?” He himself replied: “As we look back over the long story of the nations we must see that, on the contrary, their glory has been founded upon the spirit of resistance to tyranny and injustice, especially when these evils seemed to be backed by heavier force.”

We cannot and we will not betray Ukraine now. Ukraine’s voice must be final in any discussions on peace and security on its territory.

As the Secretary General of the Community of Democracies, I reiterate my total commitment to working together with international partners to achieve a just and long-lasting peace in Ukraine, with appropriate safeguards for its independence and stable democratic future. Only on these foundations can a peaceful, free, prosperous, and just world-order begun to be built.