“All of Europe must understand what happens when the crimes of totalitarian regimes go unpunished. Russia is currently repeating the crimes of the Soviet regime in Ukraine every day. While the end of the Second World War meant peace for the countries of Western Europe, then for Estonia and other countries in our region, it brought along new mass killings, deportations, and repression by communist regimes. In order to stop the Kremlin’s war machine and to bring war criminals to justice, we need to understand the roots of Russian imperialism,” explained Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
In the appeal, the leaders point out that the current ideology of the Kremlin mirrors that of its predecessors: the USSR and the Russian Empire. Russia openly supports the Soviet legacy, so it is important to ensure that the EU does not allow Russia to rewrite history.
The democratic world has decisively condemned the crimes of the Nazi regime. The crimes perpetrated by the regime have become an obligatory part of history lessons in our educational systems. It is necessary for Europe to be equally aware of the scale and horror of the crimes of communism and to realise that the crimes of the Soviet regime also require unambiguous and clear condemnation.
The heads of state call on the EU to take a coordinating role to address the issue more broadly in EU Member States, especially at a time when Russia is intensively targeting Europe with misinformation. The appeal also proposes the establishment of a memorial in Brussels for victims of totalitarian regimes, including the Soviet regime.
The appeal was signed by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
