PARIS

The Italian president on Wednesday called on the international community to achieve a cease-fire in the Russia-Ukraine war and initiate a roadmap for peace. 

Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Sergio Mattarella said: “The international community has a task: to obtain a cease-fire and restart with the construction of a respectful and shared international framework that leads to peace.”

Mattarella, who is the head of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, told European lawmakers at the Strasbourg-based assembly’s spring session that the European continent is living with the nightmare of war again due to Russia’s “atrocious invasion of Ukraine,” which is disguised under the expression of “national interest.”

He retorted that imperialism, neo-colonialism, and Stalinist vision, which imagine a hierarchy among nations to dominate militarily, have no right to exist in the current times.

Mattarella held the Kremlin responsible for the sanctions imposed by the international community and appealed to the government to “stop the war, withdraw its troops, and contribute to the reconstruction of devastated land (Ukraine).”

Describing the war as a “voracious monster,” he warned that Moscow could be tempted to multiply conflicts and the devastation could spread further if this war is not stopped immediately.

He reminded the parliamentarians from the 46 countries of the urgency to stop the Ukraine war as experience has taught Europe that if “the danger of the growth of war” is not averted then “it will be difficult to contain the boundaries.”

“We must be able to oppose all this with the resolute will for peace. Otherwise, we will be overwhelmed,” he warned, stressing the only way out was through “cooperation and recourse to multilateral institutions.”

At least 2,787 civilians have been killed and 3,152 others injured in Ukraine since the war started on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates. The true toll is believed to be much higher.

So far, 7.7 million people in Ukraine have been internally displaced, with more than 5.2 million fleeing to other countries, according to the UN refugee agency.