The large-scale attack launched in the early hours of 24th February by the Russian armed forces on Ukraine represents not just an arbitrary and unjustified act of aggression towards a neighbouring country, but also an illegal and very serious violation of the international order in force today, whose fundamental and undeniable principles lie in the peaceful coexistence between peoples, in the inviolability of borders and in the entrusting of disputes in progress to multilateral authorities designated for this purpose.
In the face of this evolution, which invalidates years of efforts made in various forums (United Nations, OSCE, Council of Europe) with a view to identifying possible solutions for this crisis area (which our most recent "editorial" also discussed in detail), the response of the international community must be unambiguously strong and determined. Beyond the immediate statements of condemnation, already made in the European capitals as well as in New York, Brussels and Strasbourg, it seems imperative to create a sort of line of "buffer states" around the Russian Federation, with the aim of politically isolating the leadership and making it impossible for President Putin and for the “nomenklatura” backing him to “dialogue” with the rest of the world, obtaining substantial profits in the industrial, financial and commercial fields. Or, at least, with those countries that recognise values of democracy, respect for the rule of law and the protection of human rights as enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
These measures must be applied for all the time that the military aggression decided by Moscow continues (and nobody is able, at the moment, to predict its duration), trusting that the Kremlin dictator may be persuaded to put an end to the fighting by a mix of external pressures and, hopefully, also by the spread of a national opposition, of which (and the courageous example of Navalny teaches us this) some not insignificant manifestations have already been apparent in that immense country-continent..
Once the guns are silent, there can be no doubt about the fact that only a subsequent negotiation phase - of which we can already imagine the extraordinary complexity - can bring hope, not just for the European continent but also for the entire community of states, to rebuild an acceptable international order, leaving behind the repercussions of the greatest world crisis since the Second World War.
To close this comment we, the Campana dei Caduti Foundation, would like to express our most heartfelt and active solidarity with the government in Kyiv and the Ukrainian people, many of whom are our guests here in Italy, and whose high level of professionalism and human kindness we very much appreciate.
At the same time, our thoughts must also turn to the Russian population, who have given so much to the world in terms of art, culture and science and who do not deserve to be represented by a disgraceful political class, clearly emerging as the exploited and most direct victims.
Reggente Marco Marsilli, Foundation President
