Do not appease evil: Ukrainian public figures appeal to world leaders
www.pravda.com.ua
Mon, 06 Jan 2025 08:47:00 +0200
An open appeal by Ukrainian public figures to the world leaders and the international community.
The document is signed by more than 160 persons, including human rights activists, MPs, diplomats, academics, famous artists, leaders of the largest business associations and various religious communities Christian, Muslim and Jewish.
The appeal, entitled Do not appease evil, highlights the Ukrainian vision of Russias farreaching subversive objectives, and depicts the positive and the negative scenarios of the wars end that depend on the position of the world leaders and the international community.
The new year 2025 brings many uncertainties yet much hope to Ukraine and Europe as we try to find a straightforward solution to a complex problem how to end the big war.
As Ukrainian public figures and intellectuals, we address the world leaders and the international community in order to share our perspectives on the forthcoming challenges and expectations.
Above all, we would like to emphasize that acquiring additional territories is not Russias primary objective in this war.
It already has vast undeveloped territories, and when it seizes a new land, this land is systematically neglected.
Similarly, the objective is not merely to bring Ukraine back under its control.
This is only one of the intermediate goals.
Russias ultimate aim is to break the current world order.
It seeks to regain its status of a superpower that acts arbitrarily and, by the right of the stronger, attacks neighbors, interferes in the affairs of other countries, commits terrorist acts, supports authoritarian regimes and illegally armed groups around the world.
None of this is an isolated incident, a whim of Putin, or a temporary deviation from normalcy.
It is a part of a strategic design.
This is why, three years ago, Putin issued an ultimatum to the United States and its allies in Europe, demanding a return to the 1997 disposition.
Ukraine, by reason of its history and geography, has become the next target on the way to realization of these revanchist intentions.
For Ukraine itself, this war is existential it is a war for survival of the Ukrainian nation, society, and state.
Ukrainian democratic and Russian authoritarianimperial political visions are essentially mutually exclusive.
That means that any freezing of the conflict at this or that demarcation line will not lead either to a relief of tensions or to the establishment of sustainable peace.
For Russia, such a freeze would primarily signal the weakness of the West and encourage further aggression and wars that spill the blood of Europeans and Americans.
Sustainable peace will come only when, under the combined pressure of Ukraine and its allies, Russia faces a systemic crisis and the defeat of Putins regime.
As proven by history, tyrannies are fragile.
This war is not confined to Ukraine, nor can the Ukrainian question be solved exclusively within the framework of RussianUkrainian relations.
If the world leaders demand concessions of the territories and sovereignty from Ukraine without providing any effective security guarantees, they will essentially bring about Ukraines defeat, which will signal to China and other revisionists that they can seize what they want.
North Korean troops will appear in different hot spots.
Piracy, blocking of trade routes, attacks on information systems and global communications will sabotage global trade.
Longstanding efforts to limit the spread of nuclear weapons will be reduced to naught.
Russian media influence, cyberattacks, covert operations, and election interference in democratic countries will undermine the world order.
And the possible fall of Ukraine would create a large wave of refugees and open the way for Putin to advance farther westward.
On the other hand, an effective end of Russian aggression against Ukraine could be a solution to many problems of the democratic world.
Russias defeat in its war of aggression against Ukraine would reestablish the order based on rules and interdependence of responsible players.
The security of global trade, global nuclear energy, and food security will be strengthened.
Terrorist regimes and organizations around the world will lose Russian support and weaken.
Today, Ukraine is buying time for the democratic world to unite and strengthen.
But this time is not limitless.
The forces defending peace, freedom, and human dignity must go on the offensive.
Ukraine and the entire democratic world can only win together or give in and lose together.
The illusion of peace at the cost of shame has repeatedly brought on a new war.
The strength of a democracy is the ability to learn from past mistakes.
Ukraine, too, has foughtand continues to fightits way to democracy through trial and error.
It is paying an exorbitant price along the way.
Each and every one of us has relatives and friends that lost property, their health, or even their lives.
But we understand that the price of war will be even higher if our allies are seduced by the illusion of stopping the war without addressing its causes.
And this is not only for Ukraine, but for the entire world.
That is why we urge our partners to look for a way not to appease the aggressor, but to win together. Evil cannot be appeased.
It must be defeated and punished for the sake of a secure future of Ukraine, Europe, and the entire world.
January 5, 2025 Signatories.
Alim Aliev, deputy director general of the Ukrainian institute, founder of the Crimean Fig cultural projectKostyantyn Batozskyy, political analystYaryna Boychuk, CEO, UCU Business SchoolMykhailo Gonchar, President of the CGS Strategy XXI, Chief Editor of the Black Sea Security JournalHanna Hopko, Network ANTS, member of the Parliament of Ukraine and chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs committee 20142019Volodymyr Horbach, Executive Director of Institute for Northern Eurasia TransformationYaroslav Hrytsak, professor, Ukrainian Catholic UniversityIhor Koliushko, Centre for Policy and Legal Reform, Head of the Board, former member of the Parliament of UkraineSerhii Koshman, civil society activistOleksii Kovzhun, media analyst and political consultantNataliia Kryvda, PhD, professor of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Head of Ukrainian Cultural FoundationOleksandr Novikov, Head of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention 20202024, preacher of the integrity and humancentred management system OKROlesia OstrovskaLiuta, Director, Mystetskyi Arsenal National Art and Culture Museum ComplexBohdan Pankevych, cofounder, member of the Board of the Ukrainian Galician partyOleksiy Panych, Professor of Philosophy, Ukrainian Evangelical Theological SeminaryValerii Pekar, adjunct professor of KyivMohyla and UCU Business schools, chairman of the board of Decolonization NGORoman Rak, Senior Resident Fellow at Frontier Institute, EditorinChief of NZL Media TUMYaroslav Rushchyshyn, member of the Parliament of UkraineOlena Sotnyk, human rights lawyer and public figure, member of the Parliament of Ukraine 8th convocationTaras Stetskiv, politician and public figure, member of the Parliament of Ukraine 1st4th and 6th convocationsOleksandr Sushko, Executive Director, International Renaissance FoundationVictoria Voytsitska, member of the Parliament of Ukraine 8th convocation, ranking member of the Energy Committee, Advocacy Director of ICUVMykola Vyhovskyy, civil activistYaroslav Yurchyshyn, member of the Parliament of Ukraine, Head of the Committee on Freedom of SpeechOlga Aivazovska, Chairperson, Civil Network OPORAAndrii Dligach, Dr.
Econ., founder, Advanter Group, Kyiv Foresight FoundationOrest Drul, editorDr.
Oksana Gudzovata, professor of UCU Business SchoolYevhen Hlibovytsky, general director, Frontier InstituteValeriia Kozlova, associate professor, UCU Business SchoolMyroslav Marynovych, former prisoner of conscience 19771987Oleksandra Matviichuk, human rights lawyer, head of the Center for Civil LibertiesSofiya Opatska, Founding Dean, Business School of the Ukrainian Catholic UniversitySvyatoslav Pavlyuk, Executive Director, Association Energy Efficient Cities of UkraineRoman Romanov, Human Rights and Justice Program Director, International Renaissance FoundationVitalii Rudenky, Research and Analytical Director, Transformation Communication ActivityIgor Semyvolos, Executive Director of Association of Middle East StudiesAndriy Zagorodnyuk, Chairman, Centre for Defence StrategiesDmytro Zolotukhin, deputy minister of information policy of Ukraine 20172019, founder of the NGO Institute for postinformation societyOleksandr Yabchanka, officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, medical doctor, lecturer of Ukrainian Catholic University Yuri Andrukhovych, writerViktoriia Antonenko, CEO of the NGO ArcUA, Executive Editor of Arc.UARoman Bezsmertny, politician, diplomat, Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiaryMartina Boguslavets, Head of Anticorruption center MEZHASerhii Bolhov, Head of U8 Ukrainian Analytical Center NGOHanna Bondarenko, Head of Ukrainian Volunteer Service, Member of the Youth Affairs Council under the President of UkraineKateryna Botanova, cultural researcher, curator, head of analytics at the Frontier Institute UkraineYehor Brailian, Candidate of historical sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of International Relations and Strategic Studies, Kyiv Aviation Institute, analyst, Detector MediaStepan Burban Palindrom, artist, musicianYevhen Bystrytsky, Dr., Leading Researcher of Institute of Philosophy, National Academy of Sciences of UkraineSofia Cheliak, program director of Lviv International BookForum, journalist, translator, PEN Ukraine memberYehor Cherniev, Member of the Parliament of Ukraine, Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the NATO PADr.
Roman Chmelyk, director, Lviv Historical MuseumRefat Chubarov, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar PeopleOleksandr Chudnovets, Chairman of the council of the public organization Kyiv Military Historical SocietyOrysia Demska, professor, National Academy of the SSULarysa Denysenko, Human Right Attorney, WriterTaras Dobko, Rector, Ukrainian Catholic UniversityPetro Dolhanov, historian, Associate Professor of the Department of Teaching Methods, Rivne Regional Institute for Postgraduate Pedagogical EducationOleg Dubish, Chairman of the Council of the PolishUkrainian Chamber of Commerce and the Board of the PolishUkrainian Partnership FundVladimir Dubrovskiy, Senior Economist at CASE UkraineDmytro Durnyev, journalistOleksandra Dvoretska, human rights defender, founder Crimean Human Rights Centre Deistviye ActionUliana Dzhurlaik, Architect, civil activist, cofounder Save Kvity UkrainySergiy Filimonov, Gonor movement founder, commander of Da Vinci Wolves battalion, captain of the Armed Forces of UkraineLeonid Finberg, Director of the Judaica Center, National university KyivMohyla AcademyOksana Forostyna, Opinion Editor, Ukraina ModernaAlyona Franchuk, Deputy Head of the Regional Development Center in Lviv of the Ukrainian Leadership AcademyVladyslav Greziev, founder, Lobby X recruiting platform, NGO ZminotvortsiIurii Gudymenko, war veteran, statesman and civil rights activist Myroslav Hai, chairman of the charity foundation Myr amp Ko, officer of the Armed Forces of UkraineSerhii Haidaichuk, president of CEO Club UkraineOlena Halushka, cofounder, International Center for Ukrainian VictoryOleksiy Haran, Professor, National University of Kyiv Mohyla AcademyUlana Holovatch, Associate Professor, Ukrainian Catholic UniversityYurij Holovatch, professor, National Academy of Sciences of UkraineOlena Honcharuk, culture manager, creative director of the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Centre Ukrainian film archiveBohdan Hud, professor, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, visiting professor, University of WarsawSerhii Husak, second lieutenant of The National Guard of Ukraine, otolaryngologist, musician Nitso PotvornoSaid Ismahilov, junior lieutenant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, exMufti of the Muslims of UkraineDaria Kaleniuk, AntiCorruption Action CentreZoya Kazanzhy, journalist, writerVakhtang Kebuladze, philosopher, writer, translatorRoman Kechur, Head of the Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy of the Ukrainian Catholic UniversitySvitlana Khyliuk, Director of Law School, Ukrainian Catholic UniversityAndrii Klymenko, Crimean expert and journalist, Editorinchief of the BlackSeaNews, Head of the Monitoring Group of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic StudiesNatalia Klymovska, Vice Rector for Development and Communications, Ukrainian Catholic UniversityIvanna KlympushTsintsadze, Member of the Parliament, Chair of the Committee on Ukraines Integration into the EUMykola Kniazhytskyi, Member of the Parliament of UkraineOlena Kondratiuk, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of UkraineGeorge Iurii Kovalenko, rector, Open Orthodox University of Saint Sophia the Wisdom, archpriest, Orthodox Church of UkraineRoman Kravets, journalistMykhailo Krikunov, Ph.D., Dean, Kyiv Business SchoolLt.
Colonel Bohdan Tavr Krotevych, Chief of Staff of the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of UkraineViktor Kruglov, member of board of the Ukrainian association of publishers and booksellers, CEO of Ranok Publishing houseKyrylo Kryvolap, managing partner, Civitta Ukraine director, Center for economic recoveryVolodymyr Kurennoy, member of the Parliament of Ukraine 5th, 7th, 8th convocationsUlyana Kyrchiv, historianSerhiy Kvit, president of the National University of KyivMohyla AcademyKostiantyn Kvurt, Head of the Board, NGO Internews UkraineBogdan Logvynenko, founder of UkraїnerDanylo Lubkivsky, Director of the Kyiv Security Forum, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine 2014Oleksandr Lysenko, professor, Institute of History of Ukraine of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine NASUTaras Lyuty, professor, National University of KyivMohyla AcademyKsenia Maryniak, C.
Tran., CIUS EditorJuliy Morozov, cofounder of NGO Union of Responsible citizens and Military and civilians recovery space HARTSevgil Musaieva, Chief Editor of Ukrainska Pravda Ukrainian TruthOleksii Mushak, member of the Parliament of Ukraine 20142019, economic adviser to the Prime Minister 20192020Nataliya Mykolska, Executive Director Diia.City United tech business association, nonexecutive member of the Board Ukrhydroenergo, visionary, expert on strategic transformation and globalization, Trade Representative of Ukraine Deputy Minister of Economy 20152019Lyana Mytsko, cultural manager, head of Lviv Municipal Art CenterMax Nefyodov, cofounder of Technology of Progress NGOVolodymyr Ogrysko, Minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine 20072009, CEO, Centre for Russian StudiesVolodymyr Omelyan, mayor of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Minister of Infrastructure 20162019, politicianOksana Ovsiiuk, Editorinchief of the academic website Ukraina ModernaTetiana Pechonchyk, head of the Human Rights Center ZMINAInna Pidluska, Deputy Executive Director, International Renaissance FoundationViktoriya Podgorna, Member of the Parliament of Ukraine, Deputy of head committee on Digital TransformationTaras Prokopyshyn, CoFounder and CEO, The Ukrainians MediaOleksandr Pronkevich, Head of the Department of Philology of the Ukrainian Catholic UniversityVadym Prystaiko, diplomat, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 20192020, VicePrime Minister, Ambassador to the UK, Canada, Head of Mission to NATOSerhiy Prytula, Founder of Serhiy Prytula Charity FoundationVictoria Ptashnyk, member of the Parliament of Ukraine 8th convocation, deputy of Kyiv City CouncilOleh Romanchuk, Director of the Institute of mental health of the Ukrainian Catholic UniversityOleksii Riabchyn, Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Protection of Ukraine 201920, Member of Parliament of Ukraine 201419Olexander Samarskiy, Retired Ambassador, Centre for Russian StudiesMariana Savka, writer, editorinchief of the Old Lion Publishing HouseMykhailo Savva, head of the public organization Expert Group Sova, Doctor of Political SciencesOlexander Scherba, author, diplomatAkhtem Seitablaiev, film directorKonstantin Sigov, Director of European Humanities research Center, National University of KyivMohyla AcademyYevhen Sinkevych, professor, University of CzerkasyOlga Shapoval, Executive Director Kharkiv IT Cluster, Program Lead Charity Foundation IT4LifeYuri Shapoval, Professor, Doctor of historical sciences, Head of the Center for Historical Political Studies, Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies, National Academy of Sciences of UkraineRoman Sheremeta, Professor of Economics at Case Western Reserve University, Founding Rector of American University KyivDmytro Sherengovsky, ViceRector for Outreach, Ukrainian Catholic UniversityIryna Shukhtuieva, public activist, curator of art projectsGrygorii Shverk, Member of the Parliament of Ukraine 8th convocationOstap Slyvynsky, Associate Professor, Ukrainian Catholic University, Vice President of PEN UkraineOleksandr Solontay, Head of NGO Agency for Recovery and DevelopmentSerhiy Sternenko, volunteer, civil activistYevhen Stepanenko, war veteran, writer, author of the book Abc of warRoman Sulzhyk, exJP Morgan, exDeutsche Bank executiveUlana Suprun, MD, a/ Minister of Health of Ukraine 20162019, EditorinChief of The Black Sea WhaleTetiana Sylina, Editor of the international department, Mirror Weekly ZN.UAKatya Taylor, curator, founder of NGO Port of CultureOlena Tregub, Executive Director NGO Independent AntiCorruption Commission NAKODr.
Bohdan Ustymenko, Director, National Security InstituteYan Valietov, writerValeriy Veremchuk, cofounder of NGO Peoples SelfDefence Lviv, member of Lviv city councilViktor Vovk, Club of Rome associate member, member of the Parliament of Ukraine and deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs committee 20142019, PACE and PA OSCE member 20152019Taras Voznyak, general director of Lviv National Art GalleryYehor Vradii, Deputy Director of Museum Jewish Memory and Holocaust in UkraineHlib Vyshlinsky, Executive Director, Centre for Economic StrategyOleh Yaskiv, combat officer, professor in physics, cinema critic, art manager and lecturer at Ukrainian Catholic UniversityAndrii Yermolenko, artist, designer, laureate of the Shevchenko Prize 2024, military servicemanVolodymyr Zabolotovskyy, director, charitable foundation HELP HEROES OF UKRAINEAgiya Zagrebelska, policy director, Economic Security Council of UkraineOleksandr Zaitsev, Professor, Ukrainian Catholic UniversityYevgeniy Zakharov, human rights defender, director of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection GroupRev.
Andriy Zelinskyy, SJ, military chaplain, writer, cofounder of the Ukrainian Leadership AcademyMykhailo Zhernakov, Doctor of Law, Executive director of DEJURE FoundationJosef Zissels, Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities of Ukraine, First of December Initiative Group
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