Dear President Donald J. Trump,
The existence of Ukraine and its people is on the line. Day after day, night after night, they suffer Russian drone and missile strikes. These kill civilians, leave residential buildings in ruins and destroy energy infrastructure. The goal is to pummel the country into submission and leave its people in darkness and despair.
As you well know, Russia is waging a brutal and illegal war of unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, Europe and, by extension, the United States as leader of the free world. The goal is to seize territory in violation of international law, obliterate Ukraine’s statehood, reestablish hegemony over Europe and overthrow U.S.-led rules-based order.
Given this reality, any appeasement of Russia as the aggressor, any attempts at putting pressure on Ukraine as the victim of this aggression, is morally reprehensible and an outrage against human decency. To bow before Russia is to abandon shared values and plunge the free world into anarchy and chaos.
Strong American leadership is the only hope. A cowed America can never be great again; a cowed America can never be first. America is only great and first when it steadfastly stands for freedom, democracy, respect for human rights and rule of law.
The world is watching what happens in Ukraine - countries under threat of authoritarian regimes will succumb to further aggression if Russia is not defeated in Ukraine.
While we applaud your efforts to pursue peace, it is important to keep the words of President Ronald Reagan in mind when asked about his strategy for dealing with the Soviet Union: “We win, they lose.”
This must be our shared strategy for dealing with Russia, as well as crafting a peace plan delivering a just and lasting peace. The U.S., Ukraine and the free world must win; Russia and its axis of evil allies must lose.
Yours sincerely,
Žygimantas Pavilionis, Chair of the Global Parliamentary United for Ukraine Alliance, Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Lithuania
Oleksandr Merezhko, Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine
Vadym Halaichuk, Member of Parliament of Ukraine
Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Chairman of Homeland Union - Lithuanian Christian Democrats, Deputy Chair of National Security and Defence Committee of Lithuania
Prof. Dainius Žalimas, Member of the European Parliament
Andro Krstulović Opara, Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee of Croatia
Rihards Kols, Member of the European Parliament
Senator Garret Ahearn, Government Chief Whip
Vice Chairperson, Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee, Ireland
Marko Mihkelson, Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee of Estonia
Beata Jurik, Deputy Chair of EU Committee, Slovakia
Ferenc Gelencsér, Member of Foreign Affairs Committee, Hungary
Doina Gherman, Deputy Speaker of Moldova
Grzegorz Schetyna, Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee of Polish Senate
Hristo Gadzhev, Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee, Bulgaria
Ann-Sofie Alm, Member of Parliament of the Kingdom of Sweden
Lia Quartapelle, Vice President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
Nathalie Loiseau, Member of the European Parliament
Jukka Kopra, Chairman of the party group of National Coalition Party, Finland
Edward Lucas, author, Baltic International Security Centre, United Kingdom
Karoliina Partanen, Member of the Finnish parliament, Vice chairman of Kokoomus
Derk Boswijk, Member of the Dutch Parliament and the Foreign Affairs Committee
Tina Bokuchava, United National Movement - Chair, Georgia
Michael Gahler, Member of the European Parliament
Urmas Reinsalu, Member of Parliament, former Foreign Minister of Estonia
Kerstin Lundgren, spokesperson Foreign Affairs, Sweden
Antonio Miloshoski, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of North Macedonia
Pablo Hispan, Spain, Chairman of the EPP Group, Council of Europe
Barry Ward TD, Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs, Ireland
Sebastian Roloff, spokesperson for economic affairs, member of the committee for EU affairs of the German Bundestag
Dimitris Kairidis, MP and Chief Majority Spokesperson at the Hellenic Parliament
Dávid Bedő - Member of Parliament of Hungary Parliamentary Group Leader
Tobias Winkler, Member of the German Bundestag
Head of Delegation to the OSCE-PA
Pavel Fischer, Chair of Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence, Senate of the Czech Republic
Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Deputy Speaker of Lithuania
Frédéric Petit, Deputy Chair of EU Committee, France
Lucia Yar, Slovak MEP, member of SEDE and in charge of Defence Omnibus
Michael Roth, former German Minister of State for Europe, former MP
Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, former MEP and Vice-Chair of the EU-Ukraine Delegation
Peeter Tali, Chair of European Union Affairs committee of Riigikogu, Estonia
Bruno Fuchs, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament of France
Heikki Autto, Chairman of the Defence Committee, Parliament of Finland
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chair, Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU, Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine
Gustaf Göthberg, Member of Defence Committee, Sweden
Saara-Sofia Sirén, Chair of Grand Committee, Parliament of Finland
Irma Kalniņa, Deputy Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee, Latvia
Ingrida Šimonytė, Deputy Chair of EU Committee, former Prime Minister of Lithuania
Prof. Ivan Vuković, Chairman of the European Integration Committee, Parliament of Montenegro
Anton Hofreiter, Chair of the european affairs committee of the federal Parliament of Germany
Agnieszka Pomaska, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the Sejm, Poland
Henrike Brandstötter, Member of the Austrian National Council, Head of the Austria-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group
Ināra Mūrniece, Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Latvia
Roderich Kiesewetter MP German Bundestag, Committee of Foreign Affairs, Colonel (GS) ret.
