The Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament - the Verkhovna Rada - Ruslan Stefanchuk explained on Tuesday 11 February that peace in his country could only be achieved by force, calling on Europeans to continue their support for Ukraine, just a few days before the third anniversary of the start of the Russian aggression.
“Peace can only be achieved by force, by our unity and determination, by consolidated pressure on the aggressor,” he explained during an address at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. “Establishing peace by force is the only way to put an end to the tyranny of the world,” he insisted, waiting for good news from Strasbourg, Brussels, Washington, London, Paris or Berlin, showing that the Ukrainians are not alone, “that the war is about to end, because we have the strength, justice and democracy of Europe and the world behind us”. “ Neither we nor you have the possibility of breaking this commitment ,” Mr Stefanchuk told the MEPs.
In his view, the only way to stop Russia's aggression is “to achieve a just and lasting peace, to support Ukraine with such force that the aggressor will get bogged down on Ukrainian soil, in international sanctions and in its own internal problems”.
The President of the Verkhovna Rada therefore once again pleaded for military support, more “effective sanctions”, and more determination in confiscating frozen assets.
The European Parliament reiterated its support for Ukraine
A few minutes earlier, during a debate and in a declaration by the European Parliament’s political group leaders, MEPs called for the EU to step up its support for Ukraine, particularly military support.
In its declaration, the Conference of Presidents also reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to long-term, sustainable financial and economic support and measures to ensure the resilience of the Ukrainian economy and essential infrastructure.
Since the beginning of the conflict, the EU and its Member States have supported Ukraine to the tune of 134 billion euros. “Europe must do more - more financial support, more military aid, more diplomatic pressure, more humanitarian assistance. The defence of Ukraine is also the defence of Europe ,” stressed the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
“Ukraine is not alone. Our duty is to stand by Ukraine today, but also on the long road of defending and rebuilding it,” stressed Adam Bielan (ECR, Polish). “It is important that the EU does more. We can do more. We must make it clear to Putin that he cannot win the war,” added Villy Søvndal (Greens/EFA, Danish).
Conversely, while stressing that Ukraine’s territorial integrity must be respected, Csaba Dömötör (PfE, Hungarian) explained that Europeans should not pay the price of war.
The Conference of Presidents also called for the full implementation and “significant extension” of sanctions and for those responsible for the aggression and human rights violations to be held to account. It also called for the establishment of a legal regime enabling the confiscation of Russian assets frozen by the EU. “We need to apply the polluter pays principle, and to do that we need to confiscate Russian assets abroad, because the Ukrainians will have to rebuild their infrastructure and protect their borders,” said Yannis Maniatis (S&D, Greek) during the debate.
While Donald Trump may be pushing for negotiations, the EU must “participate in the upcoming ceasefire or peace negotiations, as their outcome will determine Ukraine's long-term security,” stressed Petras Auštrevičius (Renew Europe, Lithuanian).
During the debate, Michael Gahler (EPP, German) pointed out that “nothing should be discussed about Ukraine without the Ukrainians and nothing should be decided about Europe without the Europeans”. “We will be ready to assume responsibility when it comes to ensuring Ukraine’s just security and preparing for membership of the EU and NATO ,” added the MEP.
But for Danielo Della Valle (The Left, Italian), instead of “taking a diplomatic solution in hand”, the Europeans preferred to supply Ukraine with military equipment. “We didn't lead the mediation, and now the United States is taking the initiative, so we risk being the sad spectators of these negotiations,” he lamented.
Similarly, for Petras Gražulis (ESN, Lithuanian), “The United States making promises to end the war is a humiliation, it is (the Europeans) who should have resolved the situation. That would really have helped Ukraine.”
See the chairs’ statement: https://aeur.eu/f/ffv (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)