THE PRESIDENT
LA PRÉSIDENTE
TO ALL NATO PA MEMBERS
23 December 2022
Dear colleagues,
As we enter the holiday season and reflect on what has been a pivotal year for Euro-Atlantic
and global security, our thoughts are resolutely with Ukraine, as it continues to suffer the
devastating consequences of Russia’s brutal, cruel and unjustified war. Our Assembly has
stood by Ukraine from the very first day of the war. Over the past year, we have also taken
important decisions to translate this support into concrete action, such as the creation of a
special fund to support the Ukrainian Parliament.
We reiterated our unwavering support for Ukraine in the resolutions we adopted at our annual
session in Madrid. We urged Allies to continue to provide Ukraine with the equipment and
assistance it needs to prevail as well as address its immediate needs during this difficult winter.
We called on our governments to continue to isolate Russia and step up sanctions. We also
recommitted to supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction and reiterated our support for Ukraine’s
Euro-Atlantic integration.
I want to highlight two further, important statements. First, we recognised that Russia's attacks
on civilian infrastructure and urban centres constitute war crimes and amount to acts of
terrorism. As such, we stated that Russia, under Vladimir Putin’s regime, acts as a state that
supports and perpetrates terrorism.
Second, we reiterated that Russia must be held accountable for its crimes and reaffirmed our
support for the creation of a special tribunal to try the Russian leadership for the crime of
aggression which Russia has committed.
I know how important these statements are to our Ukrainian colleagues. This was the clear
message I heard when I spoke at the Kyiv Security Forum on 1 December and when I met
Ms Olena Kondratiuk, Deputy Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, in Brussels on
9 December.
I would therefore like to encourage all of you to carry forward these proposals in your national
parliaments and with your national authorities. I am grateful to those of you who have already
done so and who have informed our International Secretariat. I would like to invite all
delegations to continue to keep the secretariat informed of the initiatives and decisions your
parliaments take, especially on these two issues – recognising Russia as a state sponsor of
terrorism and setting up the special tribunal for the crime of aggression.
We must remain fully mobilised in support of Ukraine in the coming days and months. I am
glad that the French authorities co-organised the International Conference in support of the
Ukrainian people which was held on 12 December in Paris. I also salute President Zelenskyy’s
visit to Washington this week and his moving address to the United States Congress.