The International Republican Institute (IRI) released the following statement after Russia’s military attack on Ukraine:
“The International Republican Institute strongly condemns Russia’s military assault on Ukraine. This belligerent action by the criminal regime in Moscow further demonstrates that Vladimir Putin is nothing more than an international enemy of freedom and peace. His authoritarian aggression threatens all free nations.
“Ukraine is a sovereign country whose citizens have freely chosen an independent, democratic course. Putin’s rearguard action is a further reminder of why they have never voted freely for closer association with Moscow, much less to be part of any new Russian empire. Putin’s greatest fear is that one day, Russian citizens will do what Ukrainians have repeatedly done through peaceful democratic activism – oust a corrupt dictator.
“The people of Ukraine do not deserve the human suffering that will endure from an unjustified war brought to their doorsteps by a 21st-century tyrant. The freedom-loving nations of the world must come together and hold the Russian government accountable for its actions.”