EU Parliament urges members to provide jets to secure Ukraine's victory
The European Parliament approved a resolution, marking the first anniversary of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine, in which it condemns the actions of the kremlin and calls for providing all necessary assistance to Ukraine. In this document, the European Parliament also urges the EU members to consider the transfer of Western aircraft.
The document was adopted at the European Parliament's session on February 16, the "European Pravda" writes.
Four hundred forty-four deputies voted "for" the resolution, 26 voted "against," and 37 deputies abstained.
It should be noted that the document's final text with all amendments has not yet been published.
According to the report provided by the press service of the European Parliament, the members of the European Parliament (MEPs):
- condemn russia's actions against Ukraine,
- express full support to Ukrainians,
- confirm readiness to help Ukraine, particularly with weapons, for as long as necessary.
Parliamentarians call on the EU members to seriously consider providing Ukraine with fighter jets, helicopters, and the necessary missile systems and significantly increase the ammunition supply so that Ukraine can not only defend itself but also regain complete control over the entire territory within its internationally recognized borders.
It is emphasized that the resolution also calls on the EU countries to agree on the 10th package of sanctions against russia, which is currently being prepared. It also urges the EU, the member states, and their allies to make the sanctions already in place more effective and to take urgent steps to block any attempt to circumvent these restrictive measures.
MEPs call for the development of a legal mechanism for the confiscation of russian assets frozen in the EU to direct these funds to the reconstruction of Ukraine and compensation for war victims.
They note that after the war's end, significant reparations should be collected from russia and directed to the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Deputies express their support for the decision of the European Council to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate for accession to the EU. And they also call on the Ukrainian side, the European Commission, and the Council of the EU to work on launching negotiations on membership already in 2023.
At the same time, they mentioned that EU accession also remains a merit-based process concerning relevant procedures and conditional criteria.
It should be noted that the resolution is not a legally binding document and only expresses a political position on a particular issue.
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