Tripartite Assembly adopts a declaration: the only way to ensure peace after the war is to grant Ukraine NATO membership

Press release, 7 December 2022 

 

The declaration adopted at the end of the 12th session of the Tripartite Assembly of Lithuanian, Polish and Ukrainian parliamentarians states that the only way to ensure peace, long-term stability and security in Ukraine and NATO member countries after the war is to grant Ukraine NATO membership.

Photo by Ilona Šilenkova, Office of the Seimas

 

‘It is key to ensure that Lithuania and Poland continue providing political and expert support in the process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU and in future negotiations which are to be launched as soon as possible, as early as in 2023,’ the document underlines, stressing the readiness to work closely together bilaterally and multilaterally in order to secure Ukraine’s EU and NATO membership within the shortest possible term.

 

The session of the Assembly of Members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which took place in Vilnius on 6–7 December, also focused on maintaining and increasing pressure on Russia through sanctions, the establishment of the Special Tribunal, the provision of assistance to Ukraine, and the country’s reconstruction and economic recovery.

 

During the session, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, noted that trilateral cooperation between Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine stemmed from the natural aspiration of all the three countries to create their own future and the future of the region by building on the advantages of shared history and culture. ‘The history of the Lublin Triangle format shows what an insightful step this was. As Ukraine approaches EU and NATO membership, the importance of our trilateral cooperation is set to grow. I believe that Belarus will join the format someday. This would fully exploit the potential of regional cooperation and ensure our secure common future for generations to come,’ said the head of the Seimas.

 

The Tripartite Assembly reaffirmed its readiness to continue working together to ensure that Russia fully and unconditionally withdraws all of its military forces from the entire territory of Ukraine and restores the integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine’s territory within its internationally recognised borders. Concurrently, the Assembly strongly condemned Russia’s attempted annexation of temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, the ongoing occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the continued attacks by the Russian armed forces on Ukrainian civilian nuclear facilities.

 

The Assembly stresses the importance of establishing a Special Tribunal to investigate the crimes of Russian aggression and to hold Russia accountable for actions against Ukraine and its civilian population. The Assembly underlines that Russia has consistently failed to fulfil its obligations under international humanitarian law, in particular, by violating fundamental provisions of international humanitarian law on prisoners of war.

 

Members of the Assembly of Lithuanian, Polish and Ukrainian Parliaments urge the international community to maintain and increase pressure on Russia through sanctions in order to further significantly reduce the ability of the aggressor state to continue its war against Ukraine.

 

The declaration adopted by the Assembly calls on the Council of the European Union (EU) to apply a universal EU human rights sanctions regime against Russia’s military and political leadership liable for serious and systematic human rights violations in Ukraine and Russia.

 

The Assembly believes that it is important to proceed with the restrictions on the issuance of Schengen and national visas to Russian citizens and keep the ban on Russian citizens entering the European Union, as this is a matter of national security.

 

The international community is urged to continue providing political, economic, financial, humanitarian, military and other types of assistance to Ukraine until victory over the aggressor is achieved. ‘It is crucial to accelerate the delivery of air defence and missile systems to Ukraine in order to protect civilians and critical infrastructure, including energy facilities,’ the declaration underlines. It also highlights the importance of providing urgent international support to the Ukrainian energy sector, most of which has been destroyed or damaged by Russian missile and drone strikes.

 

The Assembly notes the importance of establishing and implementing a compensation mechanism as a necessary component of Ukraine’s economic recovery and Russia’s obligation to compensate for the damage caused by its aggression. The adopted document declares the readiness of the undersigned parties to cooperate actively in assisting Ukraine in its recovery and reconstruction, both now and after the war is over.

 

The Tripartite Assembly proposes looking into the legitimacy of Russia’s membership of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations, in particular Russia’s permanent membership of the Security Council, and calls on Member States to cooperate with a view to improving the reform of the United Nations. At the same time, the Assembly strongly urges the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to no longer delay in adopting an amendment to its Rules of Procedure allowing the suspension of the mandate of the delegation of an aggressor state.

 

The declaration was signed by Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas; Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; and Tomasz Grodzki, Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland.

Photo by Ilona Šilenkova, Office of the Seimas

 

Full text of the Declaration of the Tripartite Assembly 

 

Rimas Rudaitis, Adviser, Press Office, Information and Communication Department, tel. +370 5 239 6132, e-mail: [email protected]