At a ceremony paying tribute to the Ukrainian people, who have been fighting to defend their territory for the last four years, MEPs once again called for greater support for Kyiv on Tuesday 24 February, reiterating their “unwavering” solidarity with Ukraine.
In the resolution that they adopted (437 votes in favour, 82 against and 70 abstentions), as in the debate preceding the vote, the MEPs paid tribute to the people, and in particular to the “thousands who have sacrificed their lives for a free and democratic Ukraine and in defence of our shared European values”.
“Today we pay tribute to the courage of the Ukrainian people. We reaffirm our unwavering support. And we renew our commitment to a true and lasting peace”, stressed the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, at the opening of the plenary session. “Ukraine has opposed something that no missile can break: the awareness of being a free nation. To those who questioned its identity, it responded with courage, to those who predicted its collapse, it responded with tenacity”, explained Frenchman Jordan Bardella on behalf of the PfE.
In its resolution, the European Parliament called on the EU, its Member States, their transatlantic allies and their international partners to adopt “even more effective military, political and diplomatic efforts, and in particular to massively increase military support to Ukraine and substantially enhance comprehensive pressure on Russia”. In particular, MEPs are calling for more sanctions against Russia’s supporters, “notably Belarus, Iran and North Korea” and Chinese entities that supply it with dual-use goods and military items essential for the manufacture of drones and missiles, as well as sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet, the Military Police of the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Federal Security Service and the Federal Penitentiary Service. They also support the Estonian proposal to ban Russian military personnel who took part in the war of aggression against Ukraine from entering the Schengen area.
“Our responsibility is to help Ukraine gain a strong position in the negotiations, and also to transform the unity we have shown into concrete decisions; this means pushing our Member States to go further, faster, stronger on deliveries, on sanctions, on European defence, on the essential security guarantees”, explained Valérie Hayer (Renew Europe, French).
“We need to strengthen the civil resilience of the Ukrainians and their defence, we need to provide more air defence systems and ensure that Ukraine is capable of deep-ranging strikes on Russia. The shadow fleet must also be tackled”, said Michael Gahler (German) on behalf of the EPP.
In their debate, MEPs condemned Hungary’s blocking of the €90 billion loan – which they called for to be put in place quickly – and the twentieth sanctions package (see EUROPE 13814/1). “Those who prevent sanctions favour the aggressor. The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, does not embody peace, but impunity”, denounced Iratxe García Pérez (S&D, Spanish).
During the vote, however, a sufficient number of MEPs on the far right of the Chamber objected to an oral amendment by Petras Auštrevičius (Renew Europe, Lithuanian), which “strongly deplored the Hungarian government's continued obstruction of European support for Ukraine”, therefore ensuring it would be put to the vote.
Speaking ahead of the debate by video, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, called for Europe to be “as determined and solid as on the first day of the invasion”. He stressed the need to support his country, notably with regard to air defence and the protection of its energy network, and to strengthen sanctions against Russia.
The European Parliament also reaffirmed that Ukraine’s future lay within the Union. “It is important for us to have an open door to EU membership, which is a very important part of the ongoing diplomatic process”, said Mr Zelensky, calling on Europeans to support his country’s efforts for peace.
In a joint statement, the chairmen of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights, Mounir Satouri (Greens/EFA, French), and of the Verkhovna Rada, Andriy Zadorozhny, warned that those responsible for the flagrant violations of human rights and the suffering inflicted on the Ukrainian people must be held to account. “We will continue our efforts to ensure that the victims obtain compensation, so that Ukraine can quickly rebuild itself on solid foundations”, they warned.
See the resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/kvu (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)