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Foreign Ministry statement on the modern lessons of the 86th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

22 August 2025 20:00

Eighty-six years ago, on August 23, 1939, the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, known as the "Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact," was signed in Moscow, along with its secret protocols. In these agreements, Hitler and Stalin agreed to divide Europe.

This event triggered World War II, which began with the joint attack on Poland by two totalitarian regimes—the Nazi Third Reich from the west and the communist USSR from the east. These military operations implemented the secret protocols signed in Moscow and culminated in a joint military parade of Wehrmacht and Red Army units in Brest, on occupied Polish territory.

Today, the lessons of the past are more relevant than ever. Just as it was 86 years ago, Moscow's main objective is to divide spheres of influence and redraw borders in Europe by force. And just as it was then, any support for such aims or secret agreements with Moscow can only lead to a global catastrophe.

The events of 1938-1939, which culminated in the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the start of World War II, demonstrated that appeasing an aggressor does not bring peace; it always leads to a greater war. At that time, the short-sighted and cowardly policies ultimately resulted in the deaths of 70 to 85 million people, unprecedented atrocities and destruction, and a global catastrophe for humanity.

The international community must not repeat these mistakes today, as the Russian Federation has unleashed the bloodiest war of aggression in Europe since World War II. It has brought back to European soil atrocities not seen since that time, which Russian occupiers are committing in the course of their aggression against Ukraine.

It is telling that the current regime in Moscow is making every effort to manipulate and distort the historical truth about August 23, 1939. The signing of the non-aggression pact between the Third Reich and the USSR is justified with all sorts of opportunistic arguments, and the fact of the joint attack on and dismemberment of Poland with the Nazis is presented as a strategic necessity. All of this contradicts historical documents and testimonies.

We call on the international community to resolutely condemn Russia's manipulation and whitewashing of this and other crimes of the Soviet Union and the Stalinist regime. It is necessary to double our joint efforts to study, preserve, and promote the historical truth about the causes and consequences of World War II. Drawing the correct conclusions from the past will help prevent catastrophic mistakes in the present and the future.

In the context of the current situation, we once again express our support for the efforts to achieve peace through strength, led by the United States and personally by U.S. President Donald Trump, with the active role of European allies. We emphasize that Ukraine, more than anyone else, wants to end the war and restore a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace and is ready to work as effectively as possible with its partners to achieve this goal. We also separately stress the importance of the U.S. and European allies providing effective security guarantees for Ukraine as part of the peace process.

In light of the lessons of the past, we emphasize that to achieve a just peace, it is necessary to increase pressure on the aggressor state of Russia and strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities and resilience. A just end to Russian aggression will be the best evidence that the international community has learned from the mistakes of the 20th century and that the slogan "Never again!" truly has practical meaning for modern generations. The law of force must never become superior to the force of international law, and the desire for peace cannot be a reason for appeasing an aggressor. The events of the past must be a lesson we have learned, not a mistake we have repeated. Together, we are capable of protecting the world from this.