Strasbourg, 11 February 2025
Statement of the Conference of Presidents on continuing the unwavering EU support for Ukraine, after three years of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression:
“Three years have passed since the Russian Federation launched its unprovoked, unjustified and illegal full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, violating international law, the United Nations Charter, and undermining European and global security. The European Parliament Conference of Presidents again strongly condemns Russia’s ongoing war of aggression with deliberate targeting of civilian and critical infrastructure, and the atrocities committed against the Ukrainian population, all serious violations of international law and international humanitarian law.
We reaffirm our steadfast solidarity with the people of Ukraine, who continue to demonstrate extraordinary resilience and courage in defending their sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.
The European Union must remain united in its commitment to support Ukraine that includes political, military, economic, humanitarian and financial assistance. We commend the efforts of Member States, institutions, civil society organisations, companies and citizens who have mobilised resources and provided refuge to millions of displaced Ukrainians. At the same time, we call on the EU and its Member States to increase and speed up the delivery of its support, in particular of its military support and establish a legal regime allowing for the confiscation of Russian-owned assets frozen by the EU.
We continue to call for accountability for all war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during this war of aggression. We welcome the recent steps made towards the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
We call for continued and enhanced military support to Ukraine, including the provision of defence equipment, training, and strategic assistance necessary to uphold Ukraine’s right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
We reaffirm the EU’s commitment to sustainable and long-term financial and economic support to Ukraine, including macro-financial assistance, support for reconstruction and economic and social recovery, and measures to ensure the resilience of Ukraine’s economy and critical infrastructure.
We call for the full implementation and a significant expansion of sanctions, including effective measures to prevent circumvention, against Russia and its accomplices, aimed at definitively undermining its capacity to wage war and holding accountable those responsible for aggression and human rights violations.
We express full support for Ukraine’s European integration aspirations. The European Parliament remains committed to advancing Ukraine’s path towards EU membership, recognising its significant progress in reforms under the most challenging circumstances.
In a challenging international and geopolitical environment, we stress the importance of maintaining transatlantic and global solidarity with Ukraine and countering Russian disinformation. We also highlight the need to ensure the international community’s continued focus on the consequences of this war and on supporting Ukraine in achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace based on the Ukrainian peace formula
As we mark three years of this brutal aggression, the European Parliament Conference of Presidents honours the resilience of the Ukrainian people and pays tribute to all those who have sacrificed their lives for freedom and democracy. We stand firm with Ukraine, reaffirming that peace, security, and justice will prevail.
Chair of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk: “Peace in Ukraine can only be achieved if we stay strong”
Strasbourg, 11 February 2025
On Tuesday, the Chair of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, addressed a formal sitting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Welcoming Mr Stefanchuk to the hemicycle, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said: “I am proud that this Parliament has stood with Ukraine from the very first moment – united, unwavering, and resolute. We will keep pushing for peace. Peace must be just, it must be dignified, and it must be based on the principle of ‘Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine’.
In his address, Ruslan Stefanchuk, called on the EU to continue and increase its support for Ukraine. His country, he said, needs more defense systems, more airplanes and more investment in its military industry.
Peace in Ukraine can only be achieved if we stay strong and put consolidated pressure on the Russian aggressor, in order to defend the civilized world, Mr Stefanchuck said. Russia does not only want to ruin our country, he added, it will want to move west, first towards Kyiv, and then towards Warsaw and Brussels: “The danger is much closer than you think.“
To stop the aggression and to achieve a lasting peace, it is also essential that Russia faces sanctions it cannot circumvent, he said, while calling for additional sanctions. The president of the Ukrainian Parliament also called for the punishment of those responsible for war crimes. “Russia has crossed all the red lines imaginable in this war,“ he said.
On Ukraine’s wish to join the EU, Ruslan Stefanchuk said his country will become stronger and better after this war as it is committed to the reform process. It hopes to open the first cluster of issues in the negotiations during the Polish presidency, he said.
Debate on EU support for Ukraine, after three years of Russia’s war of aggression
In a debate preceding the address by Mr Stefanchuk, MEPs considered the prospects of future ceasefire negotiations and a peace deal. Some speakers remarked that nothing must be discussed “about Ukraine and without Ukraine”, and nothing decided without Europe. Europe, they said, must be ready to assume a greater responsibility in providing security guarantees and preparing Kyiv for future NATO and EU membership. Others underlined the need to confiscate Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, while several MEPs expressed serious concerns about how much Europe has paid and will continue to pay to support Ukraine.
You can watch the debate again here. (11.02.2025)
Further information
Source – EU Parliament
MEP Adam Bielan (ECR): Ukraine’s wounds will scar generations
Strasbourg, 11 February 2025
In a debate in Strasbourg to mark three years of Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group warned against easing sanctions against Russia and against easing efforts to support Ukraine.
“We must stand by Ukraine—not only now, but in the long reconstruction process ahead,” said ECR foreign affairs coordinator Adam Bielan, speaking in plenary. “Let us not forget the tremendous costs Ukraine has been paying for standing against Russia for Europe’s security: Bucha’s horrors, far over 10,000 civilian deaths, the tremendous military losses, 10 million refugees, and Ukraine’s shattered infrastructure. These wounds will scar generations”.
According to the ECR MEP, “the outcome of the war must be determined by Ukraine, with unwavering European support.”
Speaking after the debate, Bielan criticised the EU’s latest sanctions package for failing to impose a full ban on the purchase of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), calling it unacceptable.
“It is a glaring failure that, three years into Russia’s war of aggression, loopholes still allow European money to flow to the Kremlin. But what is even more indefensible is that the EU is now buying record amounts of Russian LNG. This must stop. We must push to turn off this gas tap once and for all”, he said.
Bielan also highlighted Poland’s key role in supporting Ukraine:
“Under former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s leadership, Poland was one of the first to send tanks, fighter jets, and ammunition. And let us not forget the historic visit of March 2022, when Mr Morawiecki, Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński, along with Czech and Slovenian leaders, became the first foreign leaders to stand with President Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Their message was clear then and it is clear now: Ukraine is not alone”, he said.
Source – ECR Group (by email)