Condemning Russia’s continuous escalation in its war of aggression against Ukraine, “in particular its bombings of civilians and critical infrastructure, its recourse to North Korea to provide troops to fight against the Ukrainian army and its testing of new ballistic missiles in Ukraine”, the European Parliament called on the international community on Thursday 28 November to take swift and decisive action to deal with this alarming escalation.
“These recent escalatory steps represent a new phase in the war and a new risk for Europe’s security as a whole”, stresses the European Parliament in the joint resolution of the Greens/EFA, EPP, S&D, Renew Europe and ECR groups, adopted by 390 votes to 135 with 52 abstentions.
MEPs also denounced the military support given to Russia by Iran, Belarus and above all North Korea, and condemned “in the strongest possible terms” China’s supply of dual-use goods and military items to Moscow.
The European Parliament therefore urges Pyongyang to withdraw its troops and end its military cooperation with Russia, and calls on Russia to cease all forms of military and technological cooperation with North Korea.
MEPs also want Beijing to end all military and dual-use assistance to Russia, recalling China’s obligations as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
In addition, the Member States are called upon to broaden and further strengthen the sanctions regime against North Korea, Belarus and Iran, and to sanction all main Chinese entities and individuals directly supporting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the Russian defence and security sector. The European Parliament is also calling on the EU to systematically tackle the problem of sanction evasion.
More broadly, Parliament stresses the need for a comprehensive EU strategy to address the wider implications of authoritarian alliances, in particular between Russia, North Korea, Belarus, Iran, China and other states that undermine the rules-based international order.
To see the resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/eit (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)