(OSV News) ─ Following the announcement that U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a "pause" on U.S. assistance to Ukraine, Catholic bishops in the European Union called for unity on the continent.
In a statement published March 4, the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union said that given complexities of the conflict, as well as "the unpredictability of actions taken by some members of the international community," it was up to EU member states "to remain united in their commitment to supporting Ukraine and its people."
"Ukraine's struggle for peace and the defense of its territorial integrity is not only a fight for its own future. Its outcome will also be decisive for the fate of the entire European continent and of a free and democratic world," the statement said.
Tensions between the United States and Ukraine reached an all-time high following a Feb. 28 clash between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.
European leaders rallied behind Zelenskyy at a meeting in London where British Prime Minister Keir Starmer outlined the framework of a peace plan.
Noting that the "geopolitical landscape remains fraught with instability and uncertainty," COMECE said that the EU bishops reaffirmed their solidarity with Ukraine and expressed its gratitude to EU leaders for their continued support of the war-torn country amid Russia's "blatant violation of international law."
"The use of force to alter national borders and the atrocious acts committed against the civilian population are not only unjustifiable, but demand a consequent pursuit of justice and accountability," the bishops said.
Without directly naming Trump, the bishops of COMECE said EU bishops "firmly reject any attempts to distort the reality of this aggression" and that any sincere efforts for dialogue "must involve the victim of the aggression."
"In order to be sustainable and just, a future peace accord must fully respect international law and be underpinned by effective security guarantees to prevent the conflict from re-erupting," the statement said. "The peace agreement must establish the necessary conditions to ensure that Ukrainian families can reunite again and live a life in dignity, security and freedom in their sovereign and independent homeland."
Furthermore, the bishops called for the international community, especially Russia, to assist in the reconstruction of the country and for leaders to advance Ukraine's accession to the EU "in a timely and fair manner alongside other candidate countries."
"As the contours of a new global security architecture are currently being redrawn, it is our profound hope that the European Union will remain faithful to its vocation to be a promise of peace and an anchor of stability to its neighborhood and to the world," the bishops said.
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Junno Arocho Esteves writes for OSV News from Malmö, Sweden.
