Prime Minister Janez Janša: EU stands united in condemning the Russian aggression against Ukraine

“This morning, the Russian Federation launched a large-scale aggression against the independent and sovereign state of Ukraine. We Slovenians were in a similar situation 30 years ago, so we know how the Ukrainians feel today, and that is why our expressions of solidarity, our thoughts and prayers for them, come from our hearts, because we know how difficult it is in moments like these when you do not know whether you are alone, whether someone is with you, whether you will live to see tomorrow or whether you will defend yourself, whether the dream of living in a democratic and free country where you can choose your own destiny will survive or will be crushed by a brutal military force,” the Prime Minister started by saying.

“As we are aware that in order to successfully defend against aggression, in addition to guns, cannons and tanks, it is crucial that people have the will to defend their home and homeland, and that there is a morality that allows the will to win in the end. Yesterday the Polish Prime Minister and I addressed a special letter to our counterparts in the European Council, in which we called on the EU and the European Council, where the consensus of all 27 EU Member States is needed, to provide Ukraine with the prospect of full EU membership as soon as possible,” stressed the Prime Minister. He added that several colleagues had joined this call during the night and today. “In a few hours, the European Council will be meeting in Brussels and we will try to convince those sceptical colleagues who have expressed scepticism about EU enlargement, either to the eastern neighbourhood or to the Western Balkan countries, that now is no longer the time for long deliberations, that the geostrategic situation has changed, that today we have woken up to a different world and a different Europe, and that bold decisions are now needed,” emphasised the Prime Minister. He also pointed out that the history of past decades, especially the last two, has taught us, particularly in terms of our eastern neighbourhood, that if the EU does not expand, if the space of freedom and democracy does not expand, someone else will. “We need to learn from this harsh lesson and prevent EU citizens, especially those of us who are close to the crisis hotspots, from paying the price that our fathers and grandfathers did. This hope, which the European Union can offer to Ukraine, as well as to Moldova, Georgia and the Western Balkan countries, is a possible gradual, real and realistic political response that Europe and the world need at this moment. We will only be able to realise this if Ukraine defends itself,” said Prime Minister Janša, adding that Slovenia would not be independent and sovereign today if it were not able to defend itself.

The Prime Minister continued by saying that he had spoken with the Ukrainian Prime Minister a few hours earlier. “He told me that according to their information, it is absolutely clear that the goal of the Russian aggression is to behead the Ukrainian state, to replace the current democratically elected power structure and to replace it with a puppet government such as Russia has installed in this part of Europe in the past,” said Prime Minister Janša. The Ukrainian Prime Minister also said that Ukraine was struggling and needed help. “I am working with my European counterparts to provide Ukraine with the help it needs to defend itself. This is of utmost importance now.”

“Whatever happens today, tomorrow and in the coming days in Ukraine, in all the talks and meetings we have had at EU and NATO levels in recent weeks, there has never been such a high level of determination for a common response, common positions and common resistance to such aggressive actions for as long as Slovenia has been a member of both alliances. Therefore, I can say that those in the Kremlin who have completely exposed their goals and their actions with this aggressive move were wrong this time,” said the Prime Minister.

He added that 2008, when Russian got off with some mild sanctions following its military intervention in Georgia, would not repeat itself. “Nor will 2014, with the occupation of Crimea and a relatively mind response. Today and in recent days, the EU has become aware that we must become independent from Russian energy sources”, stressed the Prime Minister, adding that the European Commission had launched a number of activities that would make this a reality in the months and years to come. “The realisation has dawned that, even in these times, we need real military power capable of securing the space of democracy and freedom that we share with our partners in the European Union and NATO,” said the Prime Minister.

Today, the Government gave its approval to some preventive security measures taken by NATO. “The NATO Summit will take place tomorrow, where some additional protective measures will be adopted,” said the Prime Minister and continued: “Based on the working meetings held yesterday, the Government assessed the immediate level of threat to Slovenia, and we assessed that there was a possibility of cyberattacks, which were already taking place across Europe, and there was no doubt that they were coming from the Kremlin.” “There is no imminent threat of military conflict on the territory of Slovenia, which is why we are not raising the combat readiness of the Slovenian armed forces, but we are introducing a standby, which will allow further measures to be taken in real time if necessary. The Government has also adopted a decision that the Parliament’s defence and foreign policy committees should also be informed of all these conclusions,” said Prime Minister Janez Janša.

The Prime Minister also pointed out that there were still a number of Slovenian citizens in the territory of Ukraine who had tried to leave the country in the early hours of the morning via road links.” According to our information, some of them did not make it because of heavy traffic and most returned to the capital, where the majority, which is in contact with the Slovenian Embassy, remain there and are safe. So far, there are no reports of anyone missing or injured,” said the Prime Minister. He added: “We have been informed that there are also some people in Ukraine on business and we have been in contact with them.” The Prime Minister also said that communication is still largely working and that the Government was “doing everything to ensure that no Slovenian citizen is left behind”.

The Prime Minister continued by answering questions from the press. Asked whether he would go forward with his planned visit to Ukraine and whether Vladimir Putin would be personally sanctioned, the Prime Minister said that his visit to Ukraine was not cancelled, but “it has been delayed due to the European Council meeting and technical, communication and security circumstances”. “It is very likely that the visit will not be possible tomorrow, but it is not cancelled and it is postponed, which is also in agreement with the Ukrainian Prime Minister. As for the concrete forms of sanctions or additional sanctions, these will be presented at the European Council. The economic, financial and other sanctions that have already been adopted or are in the pipeline are harsher and are not the same as they were in 2008 or 2014,” the Prime Minister said. “The Russian Federation is a nuclear power, due to its hundreds of nuclear warheads, and it is a regional military power, but it is not an economic power. Notwithstanding the fact that economic sanctions usually affect both parties, i.e. the party imposing the sanctions as well as the targeted party, in the case of these sanctions it is quite clear who will be the loser in the medium term. The average wage in Russia is four times lower than in the EU. Russia’s economy is dependent on energy, where the market is shrinking, and on Western technology. In fact, there is not a single Russian company that produces anything that does not use Western technology, which needs spare parts and maintenance,” said the Prime Minister. He added that yesterday marked the beginning of a new Cold War era for the Russian Federation.  “I must stress that all the sanctions and measures we have adopted today in the NATO framework are not directed against the Russian people, but against the irrational, reckless and aggressive policies of the current Russian leadership. We all want the Russian people to elect representatives in the future who will not endanger anyone,” said Prime Minister Janez Janša.

Asked about the cyberattacks and how serious the indications are that the Russian Federation is behind them, the Prime Minister said that it was not just about indications. He recalled that a few weeks ago, when some Slovenian institutions and media were also attacked, Portugal experienced a large-scale cyberattack “which we firmly believe came from Moscow”. “A third of the country was without a proper mobile connection for several days, without data transmission, and significant economic damage was sustained,” the Prime Minister stressed and went on to say, “We also assess that Slovenia could be the target of a serious cyberattack, and companies and critical infrastructure are therefore being warned of this.” “Of course, we are also vulnerable as individuals, because we depend on this means of communication, and we need to prepare for a situation where it will not be possible to call home or work or a doctor using a mobile phone, so we need to think about how to deal with such a situation,” said Prime Minister Janša.

Asked about the evacuation of foreign citizens from Ukraine, the Prime Minister said that no evacuation was being planned at European level, but added: “We are all preparing for a possible wave of refugees that could follow this aggression against Ukraine, and the neighbouring countries are particularly prepared for this wave.” “This will also be discussed today at the European Council, but it is difficult to predict the outcome of today’s meeting,” said the Prime Minister, adding: “There is a broad consensus on a further package of sanctions, as this has been coordinated for some time, or at least since the intelligence services realised that Russia was preparing for aggression.” “There is great unanimity in the definition of this act by the Russian Federation in terms of international law, and also in the condemnation of aggression. The greatest dilemmas are to be expected with regard to the proposal that the Polish Prime Minister and I have made concerning a strategic political decision on Ukraine’s future in Europe, which is of the utmost importance not only that it happens, but that it happens as soon as possible, because the successful defence of the Ukrainian people also depends on the morality of recognising them as equals, as part of the European family, as a country that belongs in Europe,” Prime Minister Janez Janša concluded.

Source: gov.si