1 Year of Ukraine War: Russia Must Pay Reparation for Aggression, Says Polish Ambassador Burakowaski

As the Russia-Ukraine war nears its first anniversary, the fiercest fought battle of this century, doesn’t seem to be ending soon. Both the warring sides seem engaged in solidifying their position, both in the warzones and in the diplomatic parlays.

Ukraine, with its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy becoming the face of resistance and leadership, has stood its ground well, in what Russians had presumed a few days of work, as they launched a ‘Special Military Operation’ on the morning of February 24, 2022. Ukraine got help from all its neighbours, NATO alliance and USA, a reason why it could hold fort both militarily and economically against the massive onslaught of the Russian Army.

For how long will it continue?

Adam Burakowaski, Polish Ambassador in Delhi, said, “The Russian invasion was unprovoked and unjustified, and the only possible outcome of this war is that Russia withdraws all its forces from occupied territory.”

1.7 BN USD DONATIONS

Since Day One, Poland has been a strong support on the ground for Ukrainians to defend their territories. Poland remains one of the most active donor countries supporting Ukraine, both in terms of aid for residents and supplying military equipment. The total value of Polish donations is estimated to be about 1.7 billion USD.

However, Ukraine and its supporters have also demanded compensation for loss from Russia. “Russia must pay war reparation for its aggression,” said Burakowaski.

RESOLUTION

In November, a draft resolution was brought in at the UN General Assembly, calling for Russia to be held accountable for violations of international law by its invasion of Ukraine and requiring Moscow to pay reparations to Kyiv for damages, loss and injury resulting from the war. India had abstained in the UN General Assembly on this draft.

The draft resolution, ‘Furtherance of remedy and reparation for aggression against Ukraine’, was introduced by Ukraine and was adopted in the 193-member General Assembly. A total of 94 had voted in favour, 14 against and 73 abstentions, including by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Those voting against the resolution were Belarus, China, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Russia and Syria.

Poland has been sitting in the neighbourhood of Ukraine and is pivotal for territorial access to extend all military and humanitarian aid to Ukrainians. In fact, at the peak of the war, when major cities of Ukraine were under heavy attacks from Russian artillery and Air force, and air service in Ukraine was totally shut, Poland emerged as the main gateway for evacuating nationals of other countries.

INDIA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine, taking up the issue of safe evacuation of Indian nationals, especially from Kharkiv and Sumy. PM Modi also spoke to the leaders from Romania, Slovakia and Hungary and Poland, all neighbouring Ukraine, to seek their support for facilitation of transit of Indian nationals through their countries. The Indian Embassy in Ukraine was temporarily relocated to Warsaw on March 13, 2022 and worked from there for almost two months before resuming work from Kiev, from May 17, 2022.

Burakowaski said that Polish authorities and society helped evacuate 6,000 Indian students who came back home safely. The Polish government also facilitated special flights under Operation Ganga, which brought Indian students home.

However, millions of Ukrainians had to leave their home and look for shelters in neighbouring countries. According to the UN’s Refugee Agency- UNHCR, the prolonged fighting in Ukraine has forced about 7.8 million people to leave their country, while over 6.5 million people remain displaced by the war in Ukraine. About 1.5 million refugees are now bordering Poland.

‘GLOBAL PROBLEMS’

The war has also disrupted global economic balance. Burakowaski said: “The war has also generated global problems. Russian aggression caused global inflation, energy crisis and food crisis.”

In fact, the war has created inflationary pressure on the economies around the world. Food is scarce, fuel is costly and fertilizers are short in supply, which may affect the next year’s overall food production across the world.

Burakowaski reiterated: “Aggression should stop and Russia should withdraw all its troops. The only solution is to restore the international order. Once the world order is restored, everything will be back to normal.”

Read all the Latest News here