Our appeal was published in Le Monde on 26 December 2024, France
Translated and published in Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland
Mentioned in The Telegraph, United Kingdom
Taken up in Konstantin Kaiser's blog, Austria
Taken up in Place Publique's website, citizens' initiatives section, France
Taken up in BabylonRevue, Czechia
Published in Die Presse, Austria
Taken up in 24 heures, Switzerland
Ukraine is living through harrowing times. The Russian army, with a military budget of €106 billion that it wants to increase to €135 billion by 2025, is continuing its invasion at the cost of tens of thousands of deaths and the systematic destruction of Ukraine's vital infrastructure: its power stations, hospitals and factories. Despite the heroic resistance of the Ukrainians, Russia is gaining ground thanks to half-measures and delays in the aid provided by their allies, who carefully avoid pointing to the only acceptable outcome of this war: the withdrawal of Russia inside its borders.
Paralysed by Vladimir Putin's "nuclear blackmail", Joe Biden and the Western leaders delivered weapons of limited quantity and range, always belatedly, without providing Ukraine with the means to win. Concerned above all not to contribute to an "escalation", they allowed the Kremlin to go through all the stages of military overbid, up to the arrival over the last few days of 10,000 North Korean soldiers, topped off by the use of chemical warheads and a hypersonic ballistic missile.
Petrified by Donald Trump's boasts, are European governments preparing mezza-voce to accept, with cowardly relief, that the new American administration will negotiate a ceasefire agreement at the expense of the Ukrainian will?
Betraying Ukraine would sign the death warrant of the European project: triumphant today, Putin would resume his wars of conquest against Ukraine, but also Georgia, Moldavia and the Baltic States, in two, five or seven years' time. The whole continent would be sliding towards the abyss. Our security, our freedoms and our values are under direct threat. So we need to act, and fast.
NATO depends on the goodwill of the White House. The European Union is up against the indecision and pusillanimity of certain heads of state and government and the double game of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. This is why we are calling on all European citizens to mobilise: if NATO does not quickly assume its responsibilities and invite Ukraine to join the Atlantic Alliance, a coalition of willing European states must be put in place ─ whether or not they are members of the EU (such as the United Kingdom or Norway). It is Europe's hour.
This coalition could very quickly agree on a set of measures:
1. Ensuring the financing of the necessary armaments, as demanded by Kyiv, by confiscating and transferring to Ukraine the €210 billion in assets of the Central Bank of Russia currently blocked in Europe (the current loan from the European Union could, for its part, be based on other guarantees). Not only is this confiscation permitted under international law, but it is also warranted by urgency: the needs of a country ruined by the war of aggression, estimated by the World Bank at $483 billion on 1 January 2024, currently stand at almost $800 billion according to the Ukrainian government. It would also strengthen Europe's collective sovereignty on the international stage.
2. Protecting Ukraine's skies and northern border:
- By authorising the Ukrainians to strike inside Russia, with the weapons we are supplying them, at all the military sites from which Russian attacks are launched;
- By providing a significant quantity of batteries and anti-aircraft delivery systems to stop the destruction of civilian infrastructure;
- By neutralising with the help of our air and anti-aircraft forces, from European airspace, the medium- and long-range missiles and drones launched against Ukrainian cities;
- By sending pre-positioned military forces, brought together by the coalition of the willing. Tasked with logistical missions (training, maintenance and repair, mine clearance, medical and health support), they would also monitor Ukraine's border with Belarus. This would enable Ukrainian troops immobilised in these positions to rejoin the front line. This defensive presence would be the best response to the involvement alongside Russian forces of troops from Kim Jong-un's totalitarian regime, and a sign of our determination to dissuade Putin from going any further.
3. Rejecting any peace agreement that does not take into account :
- the human (and not just territorial) dimension of the Russian invasion: no Ukrainian should be held against his or her will in Russia or in the occupied territories. The return to Ukraine of the people deported by the Russian army, including tens of thousands of kidnapped children, is non-negotiable;
- the security of Ukraine, upon which a demilitarised or neutral status must not be imposed. NATO member countries must invite Ukraine to join them, as Kyiv is demanding, and extend as soon as 2025 the Alliance's protection to the territories under Ukrainian control.
Whatever the Kremlin's propaganda may say, none of these measures involve going to war with Russia. Their cost is limited. They are vital for a country that defends its freedom and protects ours. It's Europe's time: let's not betray Ukraine!
First signatories
Personnalities
Galia Ackerman, Historian, Editor-in-chief of Desk Russie
Guillaume Ancel, former Officer, French Writer and War Chronicler
Julien Bayou, Lawyer, former Member of Parliament
Andreas Botsch, former International Secretary, DGB (Confederation of German Trade Unions)
Pascal Bruckner, Writer
Hans Christoph Buch, Writer (Germany)
Michel Caillouet, former Ambassador to the European Union
Leos Carax, Filmmaker
Gilles Chevalier, Comptroller General of the Armed Forces (2S)
Hélène Cixous, Writer
Daniel Cohn-Bendit, former Member of the European Parliament
Bertrand de Cordoue, Advisor to the Jacques Delors Institute
Krzysztof Czyżewski, Chairman of Borderland Foundation (Poland)
Vincent Desportes, Major General (2S), former director of the French War College
Hélène Flautre, former Member of the European Parliament (EELV)
Stephen Fry, Writer, Director and Actor (United Kingdom)
Antoine Garapon, Honorary Magistrate
André Gattolin, Academic, Former Senator
Romain Goupil, Filmmaker
Michel Hazavanicius, Filmmaker
Agnieszka Holland, Filmmaker (Poland)
Martine Jodeau, Honorary Councillor of State
Konstantin Friedrich Kaiser, poet and man of the Enlightenment , Verein zur Förderung und Erforschung der antifaschistischen Literatur Österreich [Association for the promotion and research of Austrian anti-fascist literature], Austria
Esko Kentrschynskyj, Former Ambassador of the European Union (Humanitarian Aid Department for Asia, Central and South America)
Nicole Kiil-nielsen, former MEP
Etienne Klein, Physicist
Karel Kovanda, Ambassador (ret.), Czechkia
Jaroslaw Kurski, Journalist, Former Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland)
Jean-Charles Larsonneur, Diplomat and former Member of Parliament for Finistère
Jonathan Littell, Writer and Filmmaker
Denis MacShane, Former British Minister for Europe, Parliamentary Member of the Assembly of the Council of Europe (United Kingdom)
Claude Malhuret, Senator for Allier - Chairman of the Senate Independents Group - Former French
Minister
Adam Michnik, Editor in chief ofGazeta Wyborcza (Pologne)
Georges Mink, Emeritus CNRS Research Director
Ariane Mnouchkine, Director and founder of the Théâtre du Soleil
Gerhard Oberschlick, Editor
Phillips O'Brien, Chair of strategic studies and Head of the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews
Gérard Onesta, former Vice-President of the European Parliament
Rithy Panh, Filmmaker
Frédéric Petit, Member of Parliament for French nationals residing in Germany, Central Europe and the Balkans
Valérie Petit, former Member of Parliament (LREM)
Raphaël Pitti, Professor, Humanitarian Doctor
Sonja Pleßl, Publicist and Translator, Zwischenwelt International (Austria)
Natalia Pouzyreff, MP, member of the Defense Committee
Eva Quistorp, Theologian, writer, MEP a.D., Berlin, Germany
François Roelants du Vivier, Honorary Senator (Belgium)
Sylvie Rollet, Emeritus Professor, Chair of Pour l’Ukraine, pour leur liberté et la nôtre!
Karl Schlögel, Emeritus Professor of History, European University Viadrina, Frankfurt (Germany)
Volker Schlöndorff, filmmaker (Germany)
Nicolas Schmit, former European Commissioner and PES lead candidate, Luxembourg
Dominique Schnapper, Sociologist and Political Scientist, former member of the Constitutional Council
Barbet Schroeder, Filmmaker (France, Switzerland)
Mario Stasi, Chair of Licra
Oksana Stavrou, publicist, book author, Austria
Marc Thys, Lieutenant-general (Retd), Honorary Aide-de-Camp to the King of the Belgians (Belgium)
Xavier Tytelman, Defence Consultant
Olivier Védrine, Director of the Jean Monnet Association
Dominique Voynet, MP for Doubs (France)
Olivier Weber, Writer, Journalist, former French Ambassador
Michel Yakovleff, General (2S) of the French Army
Academics & Non-profit organisations
Antoine Arjakovsky, Director of Research, Collège des Bernardins
Yves Beguin, Emeritus Professor of Haematology, University of Liège, Belgium, member of the Académie de Médecine
David Bensimon, Emeritus researcher, CNRS
Gérard Bensussan, Philosopher
Wladimir Berelowitch, Honorary Professor of History at the University of Geneva and Director of Studies at the Ecole des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
Anne Emmanuelle Berger, Emeritus Professor of French Literature and Gender Studies, Université Paris 8 Vincennes Saint-Denis
Olivier Bétourné, Publisher, former Chairman of éditions du Seuil, and Historian
Jan Bierhanzl, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Tchéquie
Bernard Bruneteau, Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the University of Rennes 1
Patrice Canivez, Professor Emeritus, Political Philosophy, University of Lille
Yan Ciret, Critique, Essayist, Exhibition Curator
Martin Ciel, Professor of Film Theory, AMDA Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Joseph Cohen Prof. Dr., School of Philosophy, University College Dublin, Irlande
Yves Cohen, Historian, Emeritus Director of Studies at EHESS
Dominique Colas, Emeritus Professor of Political Science, Sciences Po, Paris
Maïté Coppey-Moisan, Director Emeritus INSERM
Catherine Coquio, Professor of Comparative Literature at Université Paris-Cité
Didier Coureau, University Professor of film studies
Bruno Demoulin, Professor Emeritus, University of Liège
Alexander Emanuely, writer, Austria
Kristian Feigelson, Professor Emeritus, Sorbonne Nouvelle University
Jean-Louis Fournel, University Professor, Paris 8
Jean-Luc Gaffard, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Université Côte d'Azur
Aaron Gasch Burnett, Senior Fellow, Democratic Strategy Initiative, Berlin, RFA
Ian Garner, Assistant Professor, Pilecki Institute, Varsovie, Pologne
Bernard Genton, Emeritus Professor of American Civilization, University of Strasbourg
Iryna Grebenyuk, Senior Lecturer in Private Law and Criminal Sciences, Université de Picardie Jules Verne
Agnieszka Grudzinska, Professor Emeritus, Université Paris Sorbonne
Jean-Yves Guérin, Emeritus Professor of French Literature, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle
Mairéad Hanrahan, Professor of French, University College London
Mieste Hotopp-Riecke Dr., director of Institute for Caucasica, Tatarica and Turkestan Studies (ICATAT), RFA
Jérôme Heurtaux, politist
Edward Hunter Christie, Senior Research Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs
Luba Jurgenson, Professor of Russian Literature, Sorbonne University
Léo Keller, politist
Oleg Kobtzeff, Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, Associate Professor à American University of Paris, Professeur à l'institut de théologie orthodoxe Saint Serge
Wlodek Kofman, Emeritus CNRS Research Director
Joel Kotek, political scientist and historian, Professor Emeritus of the Universities of Brussels (Belgium)
Hugues Lagrange, Emeritus Research Director, Sciences Po/CNRS
Laurence Gromier-Heim, President of the Consular Council for Germany South
Gérard Lauton, Academic, UPEC
Emmanuel Le Divillec, Professor at the Hanover University of Music ( Germany)
Larysa Leshchenko, Professor at the University of Wrocław (Poland)
Serge Linarès, professor of literature at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle
Sylvie Lindeperg, historienne, professeure des universités, Paris 1-Panthéon-Sorbonne
Antoine Marès, historian, university professor, Paris 1-Panthéon-Sorbonne
Marie Martin, Senior Lecturer, University of Poitiers
Céline Masson, university professor, psychoanalyst, film director
Marie-Anne Matard-Bonucci, Professor of Contemporary History, Université Paris 8
Didier Mayeur, Professor of Medicine, chair of AFSOS (Association Francophone des Soins Oncologiques de Support)
Jade McGlynn, Leverhulme Research Fellow, Department of War Studies, King's College London, Royaume-Uni
Alexandre Melnik, former diplomat, political scientist, professor at ICN Business School
Yann Moulier Boutang, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Alliance Sorbonne Université Université de Technologie de Compiège
Wolfgang Müller, Historian
Véronique Nahoum-Grappe, Social Sciences Researcher
Alexis Nuselovici; Vice-Dean Emeritus, University of Aix Marseille
Liliana Orlowska, CNRS, Poland
Frosa Pejoska-Bouchereau, professor of Macedonian language, literature and civilisation, INALCO
Geneviève Piron, Director of International Studies, Smith College, Geneva
Mathilde Philip-Gay, Professor of Public Law, General Delegate of Chaire Lyonnaise des Droits Humains et Environnementaux (Lyon Chair in Human and Environmental Rights)
Jean-Yves Pranchère, Professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles. Vice-Chairman of the Department of Political Science
Tomasz Polak, Emeritus Professor, Adam-Mickiewicz University, Poznań
Denis Querleu, Honorary Professor of Medicine, former Chairman of ZSGO (European Society of Gynaecologic Oncology)
Pierre Raiman, historian, co-founder of the association For Ukraine, for their Freedom and Ours!
Freddy Raphaël, sociologist, Professor Emeritus, University of Strasbourg
Martine Robert, film director
Elisabeth Roudinesco, historian, co-founder of the Institut histoire et lumières de la pensée (IHLDP)
Michael de Saint Chéron, philosopher and writer
Cécile Sakai, Professor Emeritus, Université Paris Cité
Natalya Santoni, doctor in oncology, president of the Solidarité Corse-Ukraine association
Annie Sartre, Emeritus University Professor
Marta Segarra, Director of Research, CNRS
Emmanuel Siety, University Professor, Sorbonne Nouvelle
André Sirota, Emeritus Professor of Clinical Social Psychopathology
Marie-Claude Smouts, Honorary Research Director, CNRS
Wiktor Stoczkowski, Anthropologist, director of studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales
Jimmy Sudário Cabral, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil
Pierre-André Taguieff, Philosopher, Political Scientist and Historian of Ideas
Dr. Benjamin Tallis, research fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) director, Democratic Strategy Initiative
Nicolas Tenzer, Lecturer at Sciences Po, Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)
Bernard Thibaut, Emeritus Director of Research at the CNRS
Sylvie Torcol Granata, Lecturer in public law
Jean-Michel Vallat, Emeritus Professor of Eurology
Jarmo Valkola, adjunct professor
Bernard Vouilloux, Emeritus University Professor, Sorbonne University
Alain Wallon, Sociologist and Journalist, former Head of Unit at the European Commission
Emmanuel Wallon, Emeritus Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Paris-X
Nicolas Weill-Parot, Director of Studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Etudes
Yves-Charles Zarka, Philosopher, Professor Emeritus, Founder and Director of the magazine Cités
Paul Zawadzki, Professor of Political Science, University of Paris 1 Associations and Arts
Jean-Marc Adolphe, Editor in chief, Les Humanités
Vera Ammer, Translator, Memorial Deutschland, (Germany)
Patrick Angelvy, Secretary General, Pharmaciens Sans Frontières 94
Annick Bilobran-Karmazyn, Chair, ADVUL Association des Descendants des Volontaires Ukrainiens de la Légion Étrangère
Olena Bresson, Chair, association Vilna Ukrainia
Christian Castagna, Chair, VoisinageS
Lesya Darricau-Dmytrenko, Chair, Perspectives Ukrainiennes
Henri David, Chair, ARASFEC, UNIS POUR L'UKRAINE 🇨🇵 🇺🇦
Hélène Deborde, Confederal Secretary for European Affairs - CFDT
Catherine Duplessy, Chair, ONG SAFE
Jacques Duplessy, Head of Operations Ukraine, ONG SAFE
Galina Elbaz, Vice-chair, LICRA
Gilbert Flam, Chair, Licra's International Committee
Bernard Falga, former Cultural Counsellor at the French Embassy in Moscow
Bożena Anna Garus Hockuba,Filmmaker, former European University Centre in Nancy, Poland
Anke Giesen, Administrator, Memorial Deutschland, RFA
Rachel Godefroy, Cosmos Publishing Director / SLPJ General Secretary
François Grunewald, researcher, Honorary Chairman of Groupe URD
André Lange, Co-founder, Comité Denis Diderot
Joanna Lasserre, Co-chair, Association Défense de la Démocratie en Pologne
Alain Léger, www.entreprises-coloniales.fr
Tetyana Lyubchyk, Chair, Association Ukraine-Grenoble-Isère
Thierry Meyer, Chair, Association Les Enfants de Tchernobyl
Florent Murer, Chair, Association Kalyna
Viktoriia Michniewicz, Chair, Association AFU Mriya Ukraine
Elisabeth Nicoli, lawyer, Co-Chair, Alliance des Femmes pour la Démocratie
Fabien Ollier, Director of the magazine Quel Sport ?
Philippe Osmalin, Director and Artistic Head, Théâtre de la Fugue
Caroline Paliulis, Chair, association Lituanie-France
Jean-Pierre Pasternak, Chair, association Union des Ukrainiens de France
Svitlana Poux, Chair, association La maison ukrainienne, Mérignac-Bordeaux Métropole
Marie Rebaud, Administrator, associaiton Ukraine CombArt
François Rachline, Vice-chair, LICRA
Antje Rempe, Partnerschaftsverein Charkiw-Nürnberg, RFA
Marianne Sébastien, Chair, association Voix libres
Elisabeth Tourneix Pallme, Chair of Pulse of Europe Toulouse
Other signatories
Last updated on 7th March 2025, 22:00 GMT +1.
The document below is read-only. If you wish to sign our appeal, please do so using the following form: https://forms.wix.com/f/7274410704734519952
