Royal Academy of Sciences New Zealand is dismayed by the unprovoked and unjustifiable military invasion of Ukraine and continued aggression instigated by the Russian government. We are deeply saddened by the grave humanitarian crisis it has generated.
We condemn this attack on the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine; our deepest sympathy goes out to them. We wish to express our solidarity with all Ukrainian researchers and scholars, recognising the ordeals they are facing as a result of the invasion of their country.
The Academy also wishes to pay tribute to the courageous stand taken by thousands of Russian researchers in an open letter denouncing the aggression towards Ukraine by the Russian Federation and calling for its immediate cessation.
At a time when the demand and the potential for research to provide actionable knowledge to our global challenges on multiple fronts – climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and growing inequalities – are greater than ever, the current conflict in Ukraine and its consequences will hamper the power of researchers to solve problems when we should be harnessing it. In a multidimensional world, close scientific and technical international cooperation, in science and industry as in many other fields, is a necessity and requires respect for freedom, the freedom of peoples to choose their future and their freedom to think and express themselves.
Our collective ability to address global challenges depends on maintaining strong collaborations amidst geopolitical turmoil.
We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine who are suffering egregious assaults on their lives and freedom.