Commenting on today´s EU, NATO, and G7 Summits in Brussels, Reinhard Bütikofer, foreign policy coordinator of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, states:
“The Russian aggression against Ukraine, which represents a turning point in international politics, has been responded to by Europe, the United States, and other like-minded countries like Canada and Japan with considerable coherence and strong determination. It is welcome that NATO, EU, and G7 continue to work towards more unity at their summits, but we must not lose sight of the fact that Russia is not yet as isolated in the entire international sphere as Putin deserves.
Among the BRICS countries, only Brazil has joined the UN General Assembly in condemning Russia. A number of important countries from the Global South did abstain. The anti-Putin alliance must become much more active towards these countries and their justified concerns, especially since many of them will be impacted with more suffering from the medium- and long-term consequences of Russia’s war of aggression.
Regardless of the consequences of Putin’s aggression, countries around the world continue to suffer from the Covid-19 pandemic, from underinvestment in sustainable development, and from the devastating effects of climate change. Poverty in the world is increasing. In addition, there is now a risk of severe food price increases and food shortages due to the war. The number of hunger victims could increase by millions. These issues must be taken into account in the current summit deliberations. Whether we Europeans are willing and able to adequately respond to the global challenges under the extraordinary threat we are currently experiencing will influence the direction of international developments as a whole. A common future can only be built on the basis of global solidarity that does not underestimate the concerns of the Global South as we face difficulties ourselves.”
