Berlin – Kyiv, 24 September 2021 

On Sunday, 26 September, German voters will elect a new Bundestag and a new chancellor. This is an important milestone for the country, for the EU and, more broadly, for the foreign policy, security, political and humanitarian dynamics in broader Europe and beyond.

Clearly, these elections are important for Ukraine and for all the stakeholders involved in the process of peaceful conflict resolution in Donbas. Since 2014, chancellor Angela Merkel’s leadership helped introduce a sanctions regime against Russia. Ever since then, the German foreign policy has been a decisive force for political and diplomatic peace process, and Germany has positioned itself as a steadfast supporter of Ukraine’s sovereignty. We can assume that without the pressure Angela Merkel and her governments have perpetually exerted on Vladimir Putin, the Minsk agreements of early 2015 and a subsequent ceasefire would have been difficult to achieve. Therefore, the upcoming election and change of leadership in Germany present many unknowns for the peace process in Donbas and for the geopolitical dynamics and power balances in Europe.

At this crucial point in time, the civil society platform CivilMPlus reminds all major German political parties and potential participants of a new governmental coalition of the ongoing conflict in Donbas.

• Despite the ceasefire regime, an active armed conflict is ongoing with civilian and military casualties.
• People on both sides of the conflict line suffer from the hostilities, years of insecurity, lack of services and elusive promises of peace that have never fully materialized.
• It is difficult or impossible to cross the contact line as the so-called ‘authorities’ in ORDLO have been closing the crossing points.
• The Russian government is intentionally integrating the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine into its political, economic and cultural realm. Mass passportization, engaging and forcing local residents with Russian passports to participate in the elections to the Russian State Duma in September 2021, propaganda, hate speech and an authoritarian local regime are evidence to this. In addition, there is a purposeful disruption of connections and ties between people living in ORDLO and people living in government-controlled territories.

The ongoing occupation and a continued policy of the Russian government to de-facto alienate these territories from Ukraine represent open breaches of international law and thereby question key principles of the unified Germany’s foreign policy built after 1990. Russian efforts at undermining values such legality, sovereignty and equality are therefore directed at the very European order on which German security and economic well-being rests.

The platform CivilMPlus emphasizes the paramount importance for Germany to remain a trusted Ukraine’s partner and to maintain the leading role in the international peace process that entails the engagement of the Russian Federation as a party to the conflict.

Therefore, the CivilMPlus platform and its partner organizations appeal to all moderate German parties and potential new coalition partners to:

1. Continue to prioritize the ongoing conflict in Donbas and remain steadfast in playing the leading role in supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to contain Russian revisionist policies. This should include a better coordination with the US on the matter and even a sort of a unified transatlantic message towards Moscow.
2. Exert pressure on the Russian government by initiating an overdue meeting of the Normandy Format with a clear focus on urgent humanitarian and security questions.
3. Participating in the elaboration on new ideas and approaches to the implementation of the Minsk agreements and/or other formant for the peaceful resolution of this armed conflict.

The CivilMPlus platform which unites more than 20 independent civil society organizations from Ukraine, Russia and the EU, stands ready to provide consultations and advice to a new German government, and is preparing a ‘roadmap’ on Ukraine. The platform will present this document to the participants of a new collation as soon as it is formed, and intends to continue the cooperation to achieve peace, justice and prosperity in Ukraine.

 

If you have additional questions or a request for an interview, please, contact Ms. Iryna Yakovlieva, PR manager for the CivilMPlus platform – [email protected] .