MEPs: Ukraine must be able to strike legitimate military targets in Russia

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament.

• Ukraine must have the possibility to defend itself fully 
• Parliament deplores the declining volume of bilateral military aid to Ukraine by EU countries 
• MEPs demand tougher EU sanctions against Russia and its allies 
• Accountability for war crimes and Russian reparations are essential elements of any peaceful solution 

In a resolution, MEPs want EU countries to lift current restrictions hindering Ukraine from using Western weapons systems against legitimate military targets in Russia.

The text, adopted on Thursday 19 September with 425 votes in favour, 131 against and 63 abstentions, states that without lifting current restrictions, Ukraine cannot fully exercise its right to self-defence and remains exposed to attacks on its population and infrastructure.

Parliament underlines that insufficient deliveries of ammunition and restrictions on their use risks offsetting the impact of efforts made to date, and deplores the declining volume of bilateral military aid to Ukraine by EU countries. MEPs reiterate their call for member states to fulfil their March 2023 commitment to deliver one million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, and to accelerate the delivery of weapons, air defence systems and ammunition, including TAURUS missiles. They also restate their position that all EU countries and NATO allies should collectively and individually commit to annual military support for Ukraine militarily of no less than 0.25% of their GDP.

EU sanctions need to be maintained and expanded

The resolution calls for EU member states to maintain and extend the Council’s sanctions policy against Russia, Belarus, and non-EU countries and entities providing Russia with military and dual-use technologies. MEPs condemn the recent transfer of ballistic missiles by Iran to Russia and call for strengthened sanctions against both Tehran and North Korea for their involvement in supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine. They also want to see more Chinese individuals and entities added to the EU sanctions list as well as tougher measures to systematically tackle the issue of sanctions circumvention by EU-based companies, third parties, and non-EU countries.

Confiscate Russian state-owned assets to compensate Ukraine for destruction

While calling on the EU and its member states to actively work towards achieving the broadest possible international support for Ukraine and identifying a peaceful solution to the war, MEPs say that any resolution must be based on full respect for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also view accountability for Russian war crimes and reparations and other payments by Moscow as essential aspects of any solution. To this end, MEPs want the EU and like-minded partners to establish a sound legal regime for the confiscation of Russian state-owned assets frozen by the EU as part of efforts to compensate Ukraine for the massive damage it has suffered.

For more details, the full resolution will be available here (19.09.2024).