A speech to learn from by Prime Minister Kaja Kallas at the opening plenary of the Summit on Peace in Ukraine.
« Principles such as sovereignty, territorial integrity and discrediting aggression as a tool of statecraft are the most important elements. They must at all costs be preserved.
Hence, it is critical that these principles are also upheld in case of Ukraine.
That is why I am concerned to hear about so-called peace plans or initiatives that don’t even mention these core principles of the UN Charter – the principles that form the basis for securing peace globally.
We should be very careful not to leave an impression that some topics and principles, such as especially Ukraine’s territorial integrity, are somehow secondary to others.
They clearly are not. Upholding these principles is the most important way towards a just and lasting peace. They must be at the core of any future peace framework.
The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has lasted for ten years. For the bigger part of it, the world ignored it.
Some hoped back then and are hoping right now that territorial concessions to the aggressor would bring peace. This logic echoes the appeasement policies of the 1930s. However, rather than securing peace, the Munich Agreement emboldened Hitler, leading to further aggression and eventually to World War II.
History has proved that giving up territory for peace has too often led and will lead to further aggressions. To achieve peace, we will have to learn from our own mistakes – failure to do so would bring a colossal cost in human lives across the globe.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Many countries have suffered under colonial wars. So has mine. I know that Russia isn't typically thought of as a colonial power.
Estonia, my own country, went through Russia’s colonisation and occupation for almost half a century, up until 1991.
I grew up during the last part of that time. My own mother, forcefully deported to Siberia as a baby, has suffered from war crimes that Russia inflicted upon far too many. In theory, it was called peace, but it was peace on Russian terms – meaning mass atrocities, repressions, colonisation.
So, witnessing the continuation of Russia’s colonialist landgrab policy today in Ukraine is a heartbreaking reminder of how history can repeat itself. I really hope this time we’re able to learn from our past mistakes. »
