“If Russia stops fighting, the war will be over. If Ukraine stops fighting, stops defending itself, it will disappear,” Vou der Leyen stated during a press conference together with Argentine President Alberto Fernández in Buenos Aires.
Von der Leyen, while touring Latin America, called for support for the ten-point peace plan proposed by Ukraine last November and “based on the Charter of the United Nations”.
“I believe that we should support President Zelensky’s plan and do everything possible to restore respect for international law as a way of achieving lasting peace,” he said.
The diplomat judged that “it was and is necessary to support the country under attack, to defend its rights”.
“Ukraine must be supported to defend its right to sovereignty and territorial integrity. We all want peace, but it must be a just, lasting and comprehensive peace,” he stressed.
Von der Leyen thanked “Argentina has expressed its firm support for Ukraine from the beginning” and emphasized the impact of the war on the international economy, energy markets and food security.
“We must close ranks to protect international order,” the European Commission leader said during the second stop of a tour that started in Brazil and passed through Chile and Mexico.
Kiev has asked Western allies for more aid for military equipment in support of a counter-offensive launched this week aimed at retaking large swathes of territory under Russian control.
On Tuesday, the United States announced a new military package worth about €300 million for Ukraine as troops in Kiev battle Russian forces in a recently launched counter-offensive.
Source: DN
