The European Parliament voted in favor of the “Ukraine victory plan”
February 29, 2024
All European Union countries and their NATO allies must annually allocate at least 0.25 percent of their GDP to military support for Ukraine, according to the European Parliament. This country must receive everything it needs to repel Russian aggression, lawmakers said. On Thursday, February 29, 451 European parliamentarians voted in favor of the corresponding resolution in Strasbourg, 46 people were against and 49 abstained.
The text of the resolution points to the huge discrepancy in the level of military support provided to Kiev by EU countries as a percentage of their GDP. Parliamentarians called on the largest EU member states with great defense industrial potential to urgently increase assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. MEPs are convinced that there should be no self-restrictions on military assistance to Ukraine.
Urgently fill ammunition shortages
They called for investment in the European defense industry to significantly increase production to meet the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and replenish the depleted stocks of EU countries. “Ukraine especially needs modern air defense systems, long-range missiles like TAURUS, Storm Shadow/SCALP and others, modern combat aircraft, various types of artillery and ammunition (in particular 155 mm), drones and weapons to combat- them,” – emphasized in the text.
In connection with the shortage of ammunition on the battlefield in Ukraine, the European Parliament called for an increase in the European Peace Fund and its use for joint purchases for the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the world market. According to MEPs, EU governments should immediately begin a dialogue with arms manufacturers to ensure that the production and supply, in particular, of ammunition and missiles to Ukraine will be prioritized over other orders. “The insufficient and untimely delivery of weapons and ammunition risks undermining the efforts made so far,” said Strasbourg.
Parliamentarians recalled that Ukraine’s main objective is victory in the war against the Russian Federation, which involves the expulsion of all Russian forces, their supporters and allies from the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine. “This objective can only be achieved through continuous, sustainable and increasing supplies of all types of conventional weapons to Ukraine, without exception,” the resolution says.
According to the European Parliament, the outcome of this war and the position of the international community in relation to it will play a decisive role in influencing the future actions of other authoritarian regimes.
More sanctions against Russia and Belarus
MEPs called on the European Union to tighten its sanctions policy against Russia and Belarus, monitoring, reviewing and improving their effectiveness, as well as to develop a mechanism to prevent evasion of restrictive measures. Sanctions against Belarus should be fully in line with sanctions against Russia, they believe.
As for specific measures, according to parliamentarians, it is necessary to introduce an embargo on Russian uranium and metallurgical products, as well as prohibit cooperation with the Russian nuclear sector, in particular with Rosatom. As another measure, they named a total embargo on Russian agricultural and fishing products, fossil fuels and LNG, as well as a further reduction in the oil price ceiling, in coordination with G7 partners.
Confiscation of frozen assets of the Russian Federation
The European Parliament insists on the urgency of creating a reliable legal regime that makes it possible to confiscate Russian state assets frozen in the European Union and use them to eliminate the consequences of Russian aggression against Ukraine. In addition, Moscow will be obliged to pay post-war reparations to Kiev, the deputies demand.
The European Union and its countries must develop a strategy to combat hybrid threats and Russian interference in political, electoral and other democratic processes in Ukraine and the EU, the European Parliament said. He condemned the murder of Maxim Kuzminov in Spain and called on EU countries to react decisively to such actions by Russian intelligence services and to strengthen cooperation in the field of counterintelligence.
Ukraine’s “Victory Formula”
The discussion on this resolution took place in Strasbourg on 6 February. At the time, members of all influential political groups expressed the conviction that, despite unprecedented solidarity with Kiev, the EU was not doing enough. According to the parliamentary special rapporteur for Russia, Andrius Kubilius, this situation is explained by the fact that the volume of European assistance depends on “individual voluntary decisions by each EU Member State”. “We need a plan for Ukraine’s victory that covers all of Ukraine’s military needs, not just ammunition,” he said. This plan should be based on a commitment by each EU country to provide military assistance to Ukraine in an amount of at least 0.25 percent of national GDP.
Source: DW
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