THE BRUSSELS DECLARATION: BUILDING GLOBAL SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE

УКРАЇНСЬКА * FRANÇAIS * DEUTSCH * ESPAÑOL * РУССКИЙ * NEDERLANDS * POLSKI * NORSK * SVENSKA * ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ * CATALÀ

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We, the undersigned, took part in the Solidarity with Ukraine conference, held in Brussels on March 26-27, 2025. We stand united in our unwavering support for Ukraine’s military and civilian resistance against Russia’s brutal invasion.

Our support for Ukraine is rooted in the principles of self-determination, human rights and freedom. We also align with the struggles of Ukraine’s workers, trade unions, feminist movements and ecological and LGBTQ+ activists. Their defence of living standards, working conditions and civil liberties is essential to defending the country’s security, democracy and integration into the European Union as an equal partner enjoying full rights–the goal of the great majority of Ukrainian society.

Together, we express solidarity with:

The soldiers who have been injured or maimed and the countless victims of Russia’s criminal bombings.
The workers and volunteers who maintain Ukraine’s essential services in the face of deadly threats, including those staffing the country’s hospitals, ambulance services, power stations and mines, and its transport, electricity and water networks.
The trade unionists who are defending their wages, rights and working conditions against neoliberal reforms, corruption and oligarchs, while ensuring the defence of their homeland both on and behind the front line.
The prisoners of war, those enduring forced Russification in the occupied territories, and families torn apart by the abduction of children to Russia.
The millions who have been displaced both inside and outside Ukraine and those who have lost loved ones.
The antiwar protesters in the Russian Federation, particularly those advocating for Russia’s defeat in Ukraine, knowing that this could open the door to a democratic revolution in their country.

The aggressive and dangerous collusion between US President Donald Trump and Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin seeks to impose an internationally illegal and socially disastrous partition of Ukraine, which would also further embolden far-right forces and undermine democratic rights globally.

Labour and trade union movements and civil society organisations of all countries should therefore demand that their governments implement the following approach to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A Just and Lasting Peace:

Reject coercive agreements that entrench Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories.
Support Ukraine’s right to exist as a sovereign, unified, democratic nation.
Ensure Ukraine’s full participation in all peace negotiations, and its right to veto any part of an agreement reached between other parties, up to the vetoing of the entire agreement itself. Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.
For a demilitarised zone along both sides of Ukraine’s internationally recognised border with Russia.

Military and Economic Support:

Provide Ukraine with the weaponry critical to maintaining its defensive and offensive capabilities, as well as to maintaining sovereignty over its entire territory. This objective does not require a permanent increase in global military expenditure, the entrenchment of rival military blocs or the social and political promotion of militarism—even if that is the agenda of reactionary forces who parade as champions of Ukraine.
Confiscate all frozen Russian assets and make them available to Ukraine, which should be able to decide on their use for defence and reconstruction in a sovereign manner.
Cancel Ukraine’s international debt.
Prevent foreign governments, corporations and oligarchs from exploiting Ukraine’s natural resources: ensure all agreements regarding resource extraction and sale are fair and sustainable through being subject to the democratic oversight of the trade unions and environment protection movement.

Cut Putin’s War Funding:

Block Russia’s fossil fuel exports, particularly when carried by unsafe “shadow fleets”. Stop western companies’ provision of insurance for their transportation.
Stop the shipping, insurance and consumption of Russian Liquefied Natural Gas exports.
Extend sanctions to other key exports like metals.
Demand Western countries penalise their own companies that continue, directly or indirectly, to do business with and within the Russian Federation. Demand Western countries push for UN-level sanctions applying to all companies doing business with Russia.

Justice and Accountability:

Establish international mechanisms to investigate and address Russian war crimes and use existing institutions such as the International Criminal Court to that end.
Demand the safe return of abducted Ukrainian children, POWs and Ukrainian civilians imprisoned by Russia, as well as the prosecution of those responsible for all abductions and unlawful imprisonments.

Protect Refugee and Asylum Rights:

Demand that temporary protection for Ukrainians in European Union countries be extended beyond March 2026 and that those benefiting from this protection be able to obtain a residence permit immediately.
Demand the right to asylum for Russian and Belarusian refugees, and asylum seekers from other conflict zones.
Oppose reductions in the social benefits for Ukrainians under temporary protection and ensure a fair and equal system of social benefit for all people in this situation.

We demand the following action:

Convene an international “Save Ukraine” summit to coordinate robust financial and military support.
Pass a UN resolution rejecting any “peace agreement” forced on Ukraine by bilateral negotiations between the Russian Federation and the US. Demand a peace conference under UN auspices.
Ensure military aid is financed fairly through taxes on billionaires, corporations and seized Russian assets. If military budgets must increase to help defend Ukraine, they should be funded by taxing the wealthiest segments of society.
Nationalise arms production and place under democratic control the production, sales and management decisions of the companies concerned. This measure will allow an end to war profiteering and the enforcement of international standards regarding national sovereignty.

Our commitment:

For our part, we commit ourselves to act in this direction in a coordinated and united manner:

By relaying the struggle, in particular through the publication and dissemination of their statements, of the social movements, trade unions and left-wing organisations who defend the rights of the population in the face of Russian aggression,.
By continuing to organise solidarity convoys and meetings, and by helping our Ukrainian partners to come and bear witness in our countries.
By fighting the falsifications broadcast by the far right and the abstentionist narratives that in practice deny the right of the people of Ukraine to defend themselves.

In the absence of a broader European peace and cooperation framework, no ceasefire or peace agreement should include any restrictions on Ukraine’s right to join future alliances.