National Youth Council of Serbia strongly condemns Russia’s aggression on the territory of Ukraine and in this way expresses its solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and especially with all young people living on the territory of Ukraine. We call for respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty and call for a peaceful resolution of the existing conflict of interest in order to preserve peace and stability in Europe and the world, but above all for the preservation of millions of endangered lives.

Taking into account the historical context of Serbia and the far-reaching consequences of the war that persist in our area to this day, we are especially sorry to witness the invaluable loss of human lives, the extreme escalation of violence and threats to human rights and democracy. Youth, security and lives of young people in Ukraine are at stake. The people of Ukraine have an inalienable right to their own history and the opportunity to decide on their own future.

In light of the growing civilian casualties of this conflict, we call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure from armed violence. Stopping aggression must be a priority of the civilized world, as well as protecting the population and working to prevent further damage that is already irreparable at the moment one human life is taken.

We emphasize that young people are a particularly vulnerable part of the population of Ukraine and that, unlike their peers in Europe, they now do not have access to education, are in exile or are internally displaced, without a stable income. We appeal to the necessity of comprehensive support for young people, on which the future of the entire nation depends.

We welcome the progress in the peace negotiations and sincerely hope for a speedy resolution of the conflict, an end to violence and the establishment of conditions for dialogue towards long-term peace. We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and especially the young people, whose potentials and youth are currently being sought in circumstances unworthy of any human being.