5 October 2022
In view of the successful Ukrainian counter-offensive, Russia has escalated the conflict in the region and hastily annexed the four occupied Ukrainian regions.
In the opinion of the ECR Group, this move is an attempt to legitimise the latest mass recruitments and a possible future use of nuclear weapons if deemed necessary by Putin’s dictatorial Regime and its FSB circles. ECR Foreign Affairs Coordinator Anna Fotyga has expressed the Groups’ unconditional support for Ukraine in the fight for the country’s territorial integrity and asked the collective West to strenghten its nuclear deterrence plans accordingly.
Speaking in plenary, Ms Fotyga said:
“Thanks to the fantastic resistance of the Ukrainian army and people and facing the humiliating defeat in his war waged against Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Russian institutions committed a series of fatal mistakes. But Putin also renewed his nuclear threats against the collective west, not only against Ukraine.
“What the West as a whole should do is strengthen our nuclear deterrence policy and make it clear to Putin and the Russian elites that any strike against Ukraine, its neighbours or any ally or EU member state will be lethal for him and his country. There is no place for this kind of state terrorism in today’s world.
The European Parliament will vote on a resolution on Thursday.
Source – ECR (via email)