United against Putin's war

The University of Stuttgart welcomes the fact that all scientific organizations in Germany are taking a strong stand against Russia's aggressive military action in Ukraine, in line with the position of the Federal Government and the state governments. The Rectorate of the university is responding to the threat to science and society in Ukraine with a public declaration of solidarity and it pledges its support to all members of academic institutions in Ukraine affected by the war.

Following a special meeting of the Rectorate, Rector Prof. Wolfram Ressel emphasized: "The science sector will act decisively and with unity in response to Putin's inconceivable attack against the Ukrainian people and thus against a free Europe. This determination is also expressed in the resolution adopted today by the university's Rectorate. I would like to thank all members of the university for demonstrating their solidarity for our fellow Ukrainian academics, students and employees."

1. The University of Stuttgart declares its solidarity with scientists, students and employees at all academic institutions in Ukraine and pledges its support, especially in terms of the aid programs promised by the state government in Baden-Württemberg and various foundations. It is with deep sympathy, that the university expresses its commitment to providing a safe academic and humane haven, as well as personal assistance to refugee researchers.
2. The University of Stuttgart is reviewing its scientific relations with partners in the Russian Federation and will suspend these until further notice, insofar as this is justifiable in individual cases in terms of humanity and international law. This will also include research funds that benefit the Russian Federation. We will not be initiating any new cooperative projects in the near future.
3. The University of Stuttgart will strengthen its bilateral relations with the scientific institutions of Ukraine at all levels of the university, faculties, institutes, and central institutions.
4. The University of Stuttgart explicitly recognizes that many Russian scientists disapprove of Putin's policy of aggression and are still interested in a peaceful discourse with free science in Europe and who wish to continue this peaceful cooperation in the future. The University of Stuttgart would also like to express its solidarity with this group.

The Rector would like to highlight that the University of Stuttgart values its long-standing and fruitful relationships with its partner universities in Ukraine, which benefit from an active exchange of researchers and students. For example with the Donetsk National Technical University, some facilities of which moved to Pokrovsk, to the north of Donetsk after 2014 due to the armed conflict in the Donbas: "Just a few days ago, we signed a new contract promising interdisciplinary cooperation and we aim to expand our collaborations, in conjunction with the High Performance Computing Center at the University of Stuttgart and other participating institutes in the fields of engineering and simulation sciences," says Rector Wolfram Ressel.