The one-year anniversary of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine passes with the sad realisation that there are still countries and policies which believe they can use war to manage relations with their neighbours and threats of violence to influence the future of the world. All wars are alike in that they always have an aggressor and a victim. However, it is a civilising achievement of humanity that assisting and supporting victims in their self-defence is not only permissible, but also a moral obligation for all those who reject violence and advocate peaceful solutions in international relations. Today more than ever, my thoughts are with the Ukrainian people, families and friends of victims, the wounded, Ukrainian troops defending their homes, children, women, and all those aspiring for peace and freedom.

War crimes, the annexation of foreign territory, war of exhaustion directed against an innocent civilian population, and the systematic destruction of civilian objects and infrastructure constitute atrocities which we considered to be part of a dark side of history on European soil that would never again be repeated. The responsibility of Russia, as one of the founding members of the UN and one of the guarantors of peace after the Second World War, is therefore all the greater and its actions in the last year in Ukraine all the more reprehensible.

Slovenia’s support for Ukraine as a victim of aggression is based on the UN Charter, which not only calls on but commands UN Member States to assist a country that is the victim of a war of aggression. Together with our allies, with whom we share a common commitment to democracy and human rights, Slovenia unequivocally stands for peace and a peaceful resolution of the conflict. A call to end this war immediately can only be addressed to Moscow. The aggression must stop so that diplomacy, and with it peace, will stand a chance.

Slovenia and its allies in NATO and the European Union are united in their efforts to defend freedom and reach a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. For as long as the Ukrainian people need military defence, it is our moral duty to support them. We have no right to force them to accept solutions they do not agree with.

Glory to Ukraine/Slava Ukraini!