by Eugene Czolij
former president of the Ukrainian World Congress
president of the Ukraine-2050 nongovernmental organization
Source: KyivPost
Since 2014, voices of appeasement have suggested Ukraine give up territory to placate Moscow’s appetite. This is, and must continue to be, a nonstarter for the West.
The Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Ukraine, the highest law of both countries, unequivocally guarantee their respective full territorial integrity.
Indeed, the Constitution of the United States provides in Article IV, Section 4: “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion…”
Likewise, Article 2 of the Constitution of Ukraine, adopted by the Parliament of Ukraine on June 28, 1996, states: “The sovereignty of Ukraine extends throughout its entire territory… The territory of Ukraine within its present border is indivisible and inviolable.” In addition, Article 17 stipulates: “To protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and to ensure its economic and informational security are the most important functions of the State and a matter of concern for all the Ukrainian people.”
Consequently, neither the American nor Ukrainian authorities have the power to enter into treaties that would violate such basic constitutional guarantees.
Moreover, Article 2 of the United Nations Charter, the founding document of the UN, binding on all its member states, including the United States, Ukraine, and Russia, provides that they must act in accordance with certain principles, namely the respect of the territorial integrity of all member states: “1. The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members… 4. All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”
Consequently, no UN member state can invade another, nor recognize an imperialist expansion against a UN member state, let alone pressure a UN member state to concede the validity of an invasion of any portion of its territory. These fundamental principles are self-evident and critical to ensure peace, security and stability in the world. Their explicit or tacit violation or even tolerance of such violation for the sake of expediency or any other so-called “practical reason” will embolden authoritarian regimes with imperialist ambitions to pursue these ambitions, endanger world order and, ultimately lead to more and larger-scale wars.
This was the case on Sept. 30, 1938, when Nazi Germany enticed the United Kingdom, France and Italy to conclude the Munich Agreement and allow the annexation by Nazi Germany of a portion of then Czechoslovakia, known as Sudetenland, with a large ethnic German population.
The Munich Agreement was really meant to appease Hitler and buy peace. Indeed, after its conclusion, upon return to London, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain triumphantly proclaimed to his people “Peace for our time.”
That fake peace did not even last one year as Nazi Germany invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939 and thereby started World War II.
To avoid history repeating itself, NATO member countries, starting with the United States, should not attempt to appease another dictator with imperialist ambitions, this time in the Kremlin, by sacrificing any part of Ukraine, including Crimea or the Russian-occupied territories in Eastern Ukraine.
Instead, they should create the necessary conditions to force Russia to first accept a complete ceasefire and then conclude a genuine peace agreement with security guarantees provided by NATO member countries.
Putin, like Hitler, feels emboldened to go further when he perceives any signs of weakness along his path.
Thus, NATO member countries must help Ukraine stop Putin now or face the dire consequences of having accepted Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Cover: canva.com
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