Solidarity in outrage
Jamaica, CARICOM join world in denouncing Putin invasion
Published:Friday | February 25, 2022 | 12:11 AMEdmond Campbell/Senior Staff Reporter -
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has added his voice to the chorus of condemnation from world leaders against Russia’s attack on Ukraine, saying that Jamaica is consistent in its support for universal respect and adherence to the principles of international law, territorial integrity, and sovereignty.
The head of Government said that his administration was expecting shocks from the crisis affecting oil and wheat commodity prices.
"While it is still the early phase of the crisis, we expect that the impact on Jamaica could be through the global energy process, oil prices, in particular, and possibly through some commodities, mainly wheat, flour prices,” Holness said.
Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Stony Hill Police Station in St Andrew on Thursday, the prime minister said that the Government was also monitoring the effects of the international sanctions imposed on Russia by several countries.
At the same time, Holness said that the Government would use all its channels and connections to evacuate the 28 remaining Jamaicans in Ukraine.
Fredrik Ekfeldt, chargé d'affaires of the European Union Delegation to Jamaica, expressed disgust on Thursday at the Vladimir Putin-led Russia for declaring war on Ukraine.
The predawn invasion has reportedly resulted in scores of fatalities as the Russian army unleashed its superior air force against targets in Ukraine.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has also strongly condemned the attacks.
The regional bloc called for the immediate and complete withdrawal of the military presence and cessation of any further actions that might worsen the situation.
“The hostilities against Ukraine go counter to the principles of respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference in the internal affairs of another sovereign state, and the prohibition on the threat or use of force, and the peaceful resolution of disputes, which are the bedrock of this Community,” read a statement from CARICOM.
The Associated Press reported that United States President Joe Biden and the EU hit Russia with broad, tough financial penalties against several banks and allies of Putin.
Ekfeldt told The Gleaner on Thursday that the EU condemned in the strongest possible terms the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as well as the involvement of Belarus in the aggression.
The EU envoy said that the attack was a flagrant violation of international law and the core principles on which the international rules-based order is built.
“The EU demands President Putin to cease Russian military operations immediately and unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine,” he said.
Ekfeldt said that Russia would bear full responsibility for its aggression and the destruction and loss of life it would cause.
“It will be held accountable for its actions,” he added.
And John Rapley, professor at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study, is of the view that Vladimir Putin had orchestrated a plan to install a puppet regime by removing the democratically elected president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Asked if the West should fear Putin using chemical or nuclear weapons, Rapley said: “Ordinarily no, because Russia's conventional military advantage probably makes such weapons unnecessary,”
However, he said that a worst-case scenario should not be ruled out as Putin appeared to have become "unhinged".
The former Gleaner columnist and former University of the West Indies economics lecturer believes that there was validity to Russia’s concern about the incremental expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in Europe.
Despite that anxiety, Rapley argued that Russia’s response was disproportionate, particularly in the context of Putin's openly expressed view that Ukraine should not exist as an independent state.
Opposition Leader Mark Golding said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has left the world in a heightened state of fear and insecurity.
He also condemned Russian aggression, saying it was reminiscent of a bygone age and threatened to undermine the multilateral system for maintaining world peace.