NEW FRENCH-GERMAN INITIATIVE FOR UKRAINE

1. New proposal to solve the conflict must be based on Ukraine’s territorial integrity;
2. Deal must be acceptable to all parties;
3. Negotiations to discuss what concrete steps the three states (France, Germany and Russia) could take to bring about a rapid halt to the civil war in southern Ukraine. If a compromise is reached all parties involved in the negotiating process, this would avert the further escalation of the conflict.

Options 

1. Diplomacy and negotiation but negotiation cannot continue indefinitely.
2. France and Germany against Ukraine joining NATO
3. Arming the protagonists: France and Germany have so far stopped short of agreeing to supply lethal weapons to the Ukrainian army.

Background (Position of Ukrainian Parliament)

On 27 January 2015 the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Resolution “On the Statement of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the United Nations, European Parliament, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, NATO Parliamentary Assembly, GUAM Parliamentary Assembly and international parliaments on recognizing the Russian Federation the aggressor state”.

Text of the statement.

Ukraine remains the object of military aggression by the Russian Federation, which it carries out, among other things, by supporting and supplying large-scale terrorist attacks. These tragic events show that Russia and supported by Russia terrorists do not want to implement the Minsk agreements which currently remain the only internationally recognized basis for the peaceful settlement.

From the beginning of the aggression in late February 2014, the Russian Federation systematically violates universally recognized provisions of international law, human rights, including the right for life of peaceful citizens of Ukraine who became hostages of the terrorists in the occupied territory of Donbas. Cynicism of the Kremlin aggression, which includes active support of terrorists at the state level, turns the killing of innocent civilians into usual everyday occurrence.

Despite the coordinated diplomatic efforts in Geneva, Normandy and other formats, Russia does not fulfill its commitments to adhere to the generally recognized rules of international law and already reached agreements. Thus, the Crimea is occupied, and the requirements of the democratic community to stop the aggression, providing weapons, equipment and manpower to terrorists, are ignored by Kremlin. Good intentions to leave the door open for dialogue with the leadership of the Russian Federation only provoke new bloody terrorist attacks in Ukraine.

In this regard, taking into account the provisions of the UN Charter and General Assembly resolution 3314 "Definition of aggression" of 14 December 1974, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine recognizes the Russian Federation as an Aggressor-State and urges the international partners of Ukraine:

• to prevent impunity of those responsible for crimes against humanity committed since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine;
• to recognize the Russian Federation as Aggressor-State that fully supports the terrorism and blocks the activity of the UN Security Council, and in this way threatens the international peace and security, and to recognize so-called "DNR" and "LNR" as terrorist organizations;
• to increase the pressure on the Russian Federation, including through the introduction of new sectorial restrictive measures (sanctions) to stop Russian aggression and to force the Russian leadership to implement all clauses of Minsk agreements, to stop illegal occupation of the Crimea, to release all hostages and citizens of Ukraine illegally held on the Russian territory, including the member of the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in PACE Nadia Savchenko;
• to limit the mandate of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe until the Russian Federation stops to ignore the demands of the international democratic community;
• to provide military assistance to Ukraine needed to strengthen its defense capabilities, humanitarian assistance to the affected civilian population and internally displaced persons and to contribute to the restoration of the critical infrastructure in Donbas.

We call on the international community to recognize the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the occupation of Ukraine’s territory and strengthen the requirements to return to the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine, preventing the creation of a dangerous precedent of the rude violation of international order and security that emerged after World War II.