The European Parliament adopted by 548 votes to 69, with 54 abstentions, a resolution on the situation at the Ukrainian border and in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.
The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA and the ECR groups.
Against the backdrop of a crisis on the EU-Belarusian border, the Russian Federation has been steadily increasing its military presence along the borders of Ukraine, amassing a current total of around 100 000 troops, and in the Donetsk and Luhansk areas of Ukraine that are currently occupied by Russian-backed forces, and has significantly increased the scale of its military activities in occupied Crimea, as well as in the Black Sea basin. The recent movements of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border have been matched by enhanced interference and disinformation campaigns by Russian proxies and media outlets in the EU, Ukraine and Russia itself.
The resolution stressed that the Russian military build-ups form part of a wider strategy, which also includes elements of hybrid warfare, waged by Russia against the European Union and its likeminded partners. It reiterated that Russia is using a confluence of threats, such as military, digital, energy and disinformation, taking advantage of the open system of the EU to weaken it. Parliament believes that the EU needs to be aware of its own vulnerabilities and those of its partners in the neighbourhood, and to strengthen resilience to be able to effectively counter any hybrid attacks and improve cooperation with partners.
Parliament supports Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. It reiterated its strong support for the EU’s policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol. Russia’s direct and indirect involvement in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, as well as the persistent human rights violations carried out in these territories and in annexed Crimea is condemned by Parliament.
The resolution highlighted concern about the continued militarisation of the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea region, particularly about the militarisation of the Kaliningrad District and the illegally occupied Crimea, including the development of anti-access and area denial (A2/AD) capabilities by the Russian Federation, which involve the use of new S-400 anti-aircraft systems, and an unprecedented build-up of conventional forces and preparations for possible deployment of nuclear weapons.
Parliament:
- urges the Russian Federation to immediately and fully withdraw its military forces, cease its threat against the territorial integrity of Ukraine, stop all measures that further aggravate the conflict and de-escalate tensions;
- calls on Russia to engage constructively in the so-called Normandy Format (gathering representatives of Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France) to try to resolve the war in Donbas and the Trilateral Contact Group, as well as to implement its international obligations, particularly under the Minsk Agreements and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea;
- underlines that in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine, the EU’s first and immediate course of action should be to cancel all travel opportunities and withdraw the visa exemption for Russian diplomatic passport holders, with the exception of accredited diplomats;
- demands that the EU take urgent and credible steps to reduce its dependence on Russian energy imports and asks that the EU show stronger energy solidarity with Ukraine by increasing interlinkages of energy infrastructures;
- urges the EU institutions and all Member States to make sure that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is not operationalised, regardless of whether it at some point fulfils the provisions of the EU Gas Directive;
- underlines the need to stop the construction of the controversial Rosatom-built nuclear power plants;
- reiterates its support for the international investigation into the circumstances of the tragic downing of the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, which could constitute a war crime, and bring the people responsible to justice.
The EU and European partners are called on to discuss long-term plans for European security with a view to dealing jointly with future military threats on the continent. Parliament expressed its concern about the ongoing deterioration of the core pillars of international security and arms control architecture, which have been subjected to manipulation and repeated violations by Russia.
Lastly, Parliament supports the Ukrainian authorities in their efforts to reform the country in line with the provisions of the Association Agreement and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. The EU institutions are called on to maintain a credible long-term perspective for Ukraine’s EU accession, as for any European state. Such efforts are necessary to increase Ukrainian resilience and to more effectively counter current and future Russian aggression.