While the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, was in Kyiv (see other news), Maria Mezentseva and Olena Khomenko, two Ukrainian MPs, and Ivan Fedorov, mayor of Melitopol, called on the European Union on Wednesday 20 April from Brussels to do more to help their country, both in terms of lethal and non-lethal equipment and sanctions.
“We must stop the war with all possible means, sanctions, weapons (...), with your help, I am sure that we will be able to defeat the Russian Federation”, Mr Fedorov told MEPs in the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
“The guns are coming. We need more and we will not stop insisting on this”, warned Ms Mezentseva at a conference organised by Globsec and attended by EUROPE, while saying that there was a real difference over the last three weeks. “How many Buchas do we have to have to get more weapons?” asked the deputy.
In addition to lethal equipment, Ukraine also needs non-lethal equipment, such as helmets, bulletproof vests, summer clothing for the military, optical and communication equipment, vehicles and protective gear, Ms Mezentseva and Khomenko explained.
The latter also requested support in collecting evidence of war crimes. “We lack DNA testing, we need more expertise, international experts, technical equipment for investigations... and liberated cities need to be de-mined”, she said.
Before the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, the two MEPs called for additional sanctions. Ms Mezentseva highlighted the Russian oil and gas embargoes and the exclusion of all Russian banks from Swift. For her part, Ms Khomenko called for the continuation of Russia’s diplomatic isolation, including the expulsion of diplomats, the imposition of a visa regime for holders of diplomatic passports and the revocation of residence permits for Russian diplomats and oligarchs. She also stressed the importance of individual sanctions and of the fact that measures imposed on Russia should also be imposed on Belarus.
While Ms Mezentseva and several MEPs called for the Russian assets seized in the EU to be used, among other things, to rebuild Ukraine, Peter Csonka of the European Commission’s DG Justice explained that this was not possible. “The Charter of Fundamental Rights and property rights must be respected. A condemnation is needed”, he explained. He added that the European Commission is looking for legal solutions, such as corruption or money laundering, which are crimes that would allow for the confiscation of assets.
For her part, Magda Kopczynska of DG MOVE implied that the 6th sanctions package soon to be proposed by the European Commission should include banning ships traveling to and from Russia from European ports.
While Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics announced on Wednesday 20 April that the EU was preparing new measures against Russia to prevent it from evading sanctions, Peter Grasmann of the European Commission’s DG FISMA said the EU is looking “very closely” at Russia’s financial transactions with third countries as a way of circumventing sanctions, adding that there was no evidence of massive circumvention.
Moving towards the EU
In Globsec, Ms Mezentseva discussed her country’s application for EU membership. According to the MP, more than 80% of Ukrainians support accession. Ukraine submitted the first part of its questionnaire in seven days (see EUROPE 12934/1). “Member States might think that Ukraine wants to be a member of the EU tomorrow. No, we are following the procedure”, she explained, adding that the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU is Ukraine’s roadmap. Ms Mezentseva estimated that more than 70% of the Association Agreement has already been completed. In addition, the Verkhovna Rada has adopted more than 90 European laws in the last two years. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)