On behalf of all of us from the Western Balkans, who suffered war, destruction and siege of cities, sanctions, poverty in the 1990s, when about 2 million of our citizens left their homes and moved to other parts of the world, we demand to immediately and without any delay stop the war conflicts, the suffering of the civilian population and the destruction of cities across Ukraine.

Aggression against an independent country is never justified, including this war that is taking place before our eyes in Ukraine. It has to be stopped immediately. No war goal can be put before the right to life, the right to a happy childhood and children’s laughter, the right to personal and collective security, and that is being denied to millions of Ukrainians today.

The suffering of the civilian population in all domains is terrible, as is the massive destruction of Ukrainian cities. Millions of people have lost their homes and the right to a peaceful life. The Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, with accompanying protocols, must be respected. Prohibited weapons must not be used in Ukraine. Calling for nuclear weapons frightens all citizens of Europe and the world. Nuclear states have pledged not to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states and therefore any mention of a nuclear arsenal is unthinkable.

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