Germany's Federal Council calls on Russia to end war, withdraw troops from Ukraine

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, the Bundesrat adopted a respective resolution on Friday ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"The Bundesrat most strongly condemns the war of aggression waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The Bundesrat reiterates its demand that the Russian Federation immediately cease all offensive actions and withdraw its troops from the entire territory of Ukraine in order to restore Ukraine's territorial integrity, and that other states involved cease their support for Russian aggression. The Russian invasion and the war waged since then with extreme brutality constitute a blatant violation of international law and the fundamental principles of the UN Charter," the resolution states.

The Federal Council also strongly condemned Russia's attacks on Ukraine's civilian population and civilian infrastructure, documented serious violations of international humanitarian law, war crimes, and other grave human rights abuses. In this context, the Bundesrat welcomed international efforts to investigate these crimes, prosecute those responsible, and secure the return of all civilians, including children, whom Russia is detaining or has unlawfully deported.

"The Bundesrat expresses great respect and recognition for the determined resistance of Ukrainian women and men, which has continued for more than ten years since the annexation of Crimea. This struggle is a fight for shared European values, for freedom, democracy, and the right of sovereign states to determine their own path," the resolution said.

The Federal Council also welcomed the efforts of Germany's federal government in international negotiations aimed at achieving a "just and lasting peace in Ukraine that preserves the country's sovereignty."

"Any peace agreement must be aimed at preventing future attacks by the Russian Federation on Ukraine while at the same time strengthening security in Europe as a whole. Therefore, negotiations must be conducted with the substantial involvement of Ukraine and its European partners," the document notes.

The resolution added that Germany, together with the European Union and international partners, should "continue and, if necessary, strengthen military, humanitarian, financial, and political support for Ukraine."

"The Bundesrat welcomes the further tightening of sanctions against the Russian Federation. Russia's aggressive actions must continue to entail economic, financial, and diplomatic consequences. Within a year of the start of Russia's war of aggression, Germany ended imports of oil and gas from Russia. The Bundesrat expects that the EU decision to completely phase out imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027 will be consistently implemented by all EU member states," the resolution states.

German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier said that defending Ukraine means defending the European order, and that any peace must be based on sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international law, without negotiations conducted over the heads of Ukrainians.