Duda: Sanctions to exclude Russia from civilized international community must be imposed
Russia's actions in Ukraine are not a war, but real terrorism and banditry, so sanctions must be imposed on the aggressor state to exclude it from the international community which respects civilized norms.
President of Poland Andrzej Duda made a relevant statement at a joint briefing with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Estonia Alar Karis, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, and President of Latvia Egils Levits in Kyiv on April 13, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
Duda said he saw two faces of war in Ukraine: military clashes between the two armies and the bombardment of civilian objects by Russian troops.
"I told President Zelensky and other presidents: this is not war, but terrorism. If someone sends planes and soldiers to bomb houses, kill civilians, it is not a war. It is cruelty, banditry, and terrorism," Duda said.
The President of the Republic of Poland stressed that Russia had violated all the norms of warfare and the international law in Ukraine.
"There is no place in the international community for those who violate these norms," he said, adding that the sanctions against Russia must be imposed to exclude it from the civilized international community.
He believes that tough sanctions must end the war and be an example of what is unacceptable in the future. Therefore, resistance to Russian aggression must be "absolute, firm, and decisive."
According to Duda, it is impossible to have a normal dialogue with Russia until it admits that it has violated international norms.
"In short, they must be defeated in order to start a normal conversation with them," the President of Poland said.
Duda stressed that international tribunals must punish all those guilty of harassing, killing, and bombing civilians in Ukraine.
He also expressed hope that Ukraine would soon become a part of the EU as a sovereign, independent, and self-sufficient country.
As reported, on April 13, President of Poland Andrzej Duda, President of Estonia Alar Karis, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, and President of Latvia Egils Levits arrived in Kyiv. They visited the localities in Kyiv region to see the consequences of Russian war crimes with their own eyes.
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