Alianta decries the horrific and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
In this 25th year of the Strategic Partnership between the US and Romania, Alianta applauds and strongly supports efforts by the United States, Romania, and other states of the western alliance to aid Ukraine in its forceful defense of sovereignty and rights of self-determination.
Ever since Russia launched on February 24th its unprovoked and brutal attack on Ukraine, Alianta has supported Romania’s provision of essential humanitarian support of Ukraine. Alianta has funded NGOs working tirelessly at the Ukraine border to assist needs of hundreds of thousands displaced persons, refugees, and their families—including medical, financial, transportation, food, accommodations, schooling for children, visa assistance and more. At this critical juncture of anticipated changes to the international geopolitical order caused by this war, never has the Transatlantic Alliance of nations been more unified nor has the US and Romania been more united in common purpose.
Alianta urges the United States, Romania and nations supporting international norms and values to sustain the pursuit of a comprehensive punitive response to Moscow’s attempt to subjugate Ukraine to Russian domination and control. The outcome of this conflict will determine if future autocratic aggressors by military power and brutality can shape history without regard to international law and a rules-based order.
For the last three months Ukraine has heroically defended the borders of Europe and NATO against the forces of authoritarianism. Alianta applauds the work carried out by the United States and western allies in support Ukraine’s defense and encourages that such support continues and intensifies. We are mindful of Putin’s threats of escalation, including use of tactical nuclear weapons. But such threats of devastating violence cannot be allowed to shield Moscow from the consequences of its atrocities or dictate the terms of a resolution to this war.
Therefore, Alianta endorses measures currently pursued by the US, UK, EU (including Romania), Canada and other countries committed to western rules-based order, including implementation of sanctions on Russia’s government leaders, financial institutions, state companies, oligarchs, and other benefactors of Putin’s corrupt cronyism. However, sanctions are one aspect of a larger international strategy that must include military, humanitarian, and diplomacy assistance to end the war. Thus, Alianta supports the following:
• Continued economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine throughout the duration of war, including needs of displaced persons, refugees, and their families at border countries of western Ukraine, including Romania and Moldova.
• Continuation of current (and provisions of more sophisticated) military equipment, munitions and training of Ukrainian forces required to maintain comprehensive and dynamic defenses to repel all aspects of Russia’s military capabilities used against Ukrainian forces.
• Intensified and comprehensive economic and financial sanctions against Russia. Maximum sanctions should continue until a genuine peace to the satisfaction of the government and people of Ukraine is obtained.
• Most importantly, the purchase of Russian oil and gas imports by EU countries and allies must end as quickly as possible—despite economic hardships caused for some EU countries more so than others. Russian oil and gas exports are the main source of revenue that finances Russia’s war against Ukraine and must be shut off. Given the atrocities occurring daily in Ukraine, the failure to do so would be strategically shortsighted and even immoral.
• As long as feasible in this conflict, Alianta will work with Romania and US authorities to assist governmental, private, and multilateral organizations/institutions in the post-conflict period to ensure the necessary reconstruction of Ukraine.
Alianta and its US and Romanian partners are committed to help Ukraine to emerge from this horrific and unjustified war stronger, more prosperous, and more integrated into Europe than before. Alianta’s expectation is that such an outcome will demonstrate for decades to come that authoritarian aggression against neighboring countries is not acceptable and will be always prove counterproductive to the stability and prosperity of such aggressor nations and result in their exclusion from participation in a rules-based systems of international order.
