The European Parliament adopted by 425 votes to 131, with 63 abstentions, a resolution on continued financial and military support to Ukraine by EU Member States.
The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the EPP, S&D, ECR, Renew, Greens/EFA groups and Members.
Parliament strongly condemned Russia’s continued war of aggression against Ukraine, and the involvement of Belarus in this war. It demanded that Russia immediately terminate all military activities in Ukraine, unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire internationally recognised territory of Ukraine and compensate Ukraine for the damage caused to its people, land, nature and infrastructure.
Maintain and mobilise international aid
Parliament called for the EU and its Member States to actively work towards maintaining and achieving the broadest possible international support for Ukraine. The Commission is called on to swiftly propose long-term financial assistance for the reconstruction of Ukraine, in particular by ensuring swift implementation of the Ukraine Facility.
Member States are called on to increase their funding for Ukraine and refrain from decreasing their contributions. Parliament called for a substantial increase in the EU’s humanitarian aid in order to ensure that full support for Ukraine continues in 2025.
Lift restrictions on the use of Western weapons systems
Members urged Member States to immediately lift restrictions on the use of Western weapons systems delivered to Ukraine against legitimate military targets on Russian territory. Deploring the declining financial volume of bilateral military aid to Ukraine from Member States, they highlighted that insufficient deliveries of ammunition and weapons and restrictions on their use risk undermining efforts made so far.
Member States are called on to fulfil their commitment of March 2023 to deliver one million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, to accelerate weapons deliveries, in particular of modern air defence systems and other weapons and ammunition in response to clearly identified needs, including Taurus missiles. It reiterated its position that all EU Member States and NATO allies should collectively and individually commit to supporting Ukraine militarily, with no less than 0.25 % of their GDP annually.
EU sanctions
Parliament called on the Council to maintain and extend its sanctions policy against Russia and Belarus and non-EU countries and entities providing the Russian military complex with military and dual-use technologies and equipment. Members condemned Iran’s recent transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia. They urged Member States to further broaden and strengthen the sanctions regime against Iran and North Korea, in view of these countries’ military support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and to add additional Chinese entities and individuals to the EU sanctions list. They also called for the sanctioning of persons directly responsible for and involved in the forced transfer and unjustified detention of Ukrainian children.
Members called on the Council to systematically tackle the circumvention of sanctions by EU-based companies, third parties and non-EU states and invited the Council to design a new horizontal sanctions regime to counter this circumvention. Parliament stressed that the impact of existing sanctions and of financial and military support to Ukraine will continue to be undermined as long as the EU allows Russian fossil fuels to be imported. It called for measures to crack down on the loopholes used by Russia to repackage and sell its oil at market prices as well as for a full embargo of Russian liquefied natural gas and sanctions against Gazprom and Russian oil companies. It also called for sanctions on Russia’s nuclear sector and targeted sanctions against perpetrators of violations of nuclear safety and security at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Confiscation of Russian assets
Reiterating its firm conviction that Russia must provide financial compensation for the massive damage it has caused in Ukraine, Parliament called for quick progress in implementing the G7’s decision to offer Ukraine a USD 50 billion loan secured through immobilised Russian state assets, to ensure the timely disbursement of funds to Ukraine. The EU is called on to take the work forward, together with like-minded partners, by adapting sanctions legislation as necessary and by establishing a sound legal regime for the confiscation of Russian state-owned assets frozen by the EU.