The European Parliament has approved a resolution on European contributions to a just peace and lasting security for Ukraine. Out of 589 voters, 437 voted in favour, 82 against and 70 abstained. Among the Italian delegations, the 5 Star Movement and Roberto Vannacci of Futuro Nazionale voted against. The MEPs of the League and the Green-Left Alliance abstained, as did Marco Tarquinio of the Democratic Party. All the other MEPs of the Democratic Party, the delegations of Forza Italia and Fratelli d’Italia, Elisabetta Gualmini who recently joined Action are in favor.
Before the vote, Volodymyr Zelensky spoke via video link: “We are holding back Russia, but we still do not have definitive security guarantees. Only together can we do this, together with Europe and with America. Of course, we all understand that it is not easy to maintain transatlantic unity and cooperation in the current conditions, but I am grateful to all those who, despite all the challenges, continue to preserve this bond of global importance”, he said.
“That is why today we honor the courage of the Ukrainian people. We reaffirm our concrete support. And we renew our commitment to real and lasting peace. Today we are once again joined remotely by President Zelensky in this House. When I met the President in Kiev, just a month after the invasion, I promised him that this Parliament would support Ukraine. And four years later, thanks to your commitment, dear colleagues, we have not let Ukraine down. Because we know that when we stand together, Ukraine and Europe remain strong”, said President Roberta Metsola while opening the plenary. “I am proud of what we have done together. Whether it is supporting Ukrainian society by providing 200 billion euros in aid to help make the daily lives of millions of people possible. Later today we will sign a 90 billion euro loan to strengthen essential public services and keep Ukraine’s defenses strong. Sending a clear message to every Ukrainian: your security is the security of Europe. Your freedom is the freedom of Europe. And your future is in Europe. And we will continue to work to make it happen.”
In the non-legislative resolution, Parliament strongly condemns Russia’s illegal and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine, calling it a clear violation of international law and the United Nations Charter. The deputies hold Russia, its leadership and the regime in neighboring Belarus, from which Russia launched attacks against Ukraine, fully responsible for the war, war crimes and aggression, furthermore strongly condemning the involvement of the Iranian and North Korean regimes. Parliament calls on Russia to immediately cease military actions, withdraw from all internationally recognized Ukrainian territory, release detainees and deported civilians (including children) and end violations of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The deputies also reiterate that they will continue not to recognize any occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian.
Strong and credible security guarantees for Ukraine. In the text, Parliament states that Ukraine’s future is with the EU. It therefore recommends accelerating Ukraine’s integration into the single market and stepping up the EU’s preparations for future enlargements through internal reforms. It also calls on the EU and its Member States to take greater responsibility for European security and to increase military, political and diplomatic support for Ukraine. MEPs say that a future peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia must be underpinned by strong and credible security guarantees for Ukraine, comparable to Article 5 of NATO and Article 42(7) of the TEU, and that such an agreement must respect international law, ensure accountability, include reparations and not limit Ukraine’s right to self-defence or to choose its own alliances. They also emphasize that no decisions on Ukraine or Europe should be made without Ukraine and without Europe.
To this end, MEPs support new multilateral security initiatives for Ukraine, including the proposal of a “reassurance force” by Ukraine’s Western allies combined with security guarantees, but express concern that such guarantees would only come into force after agreement on a ceasefire. They also express concern about the current US approach to peace negotiations, as Washington appears to favor short-term agreements and the preservation of “strategic stability” with Russia over real negotiations aimed at a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on international law. Parliament calls for further energy decoupling of the EU from Russia. The resolution calls for a strengthening of sanctions against Russia and the continuation of decoupling from Russian energy sources. While underlining efforts to phase out Russian oil and gas imports, Parliament also calls for the phasing out of other Russian energy sources, including all petroleum products, uranium, enriched uranium, nuclear fuel and related services, as well as the permanent decommissioning of the Nord Stream pipelines. MEPs also condemn the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and support international efforts to secure their return. Finally, Parliament calls for the extension of sanctions against Russian institutions and officials involved in war crimes, stricter enforcement to prevent their evasion, a ban on entry into the Schengen area for Russian military personnel involved in the war, and the designation of the Wagner Group and its successor entities as terrorist organizations.