As Russia's war against Ukraine continues, the European Parliament on Wednesday reaffirmed its view that the EU should continue to support Kyiv as long as necessary until victory, the European institution said, UNN reports.
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The resolution, which sets out the first official position of the newly elected European Parliament on Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine, "reaffirms the continued support of the members of the European Parliament for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders." The European Parliament "calls on the EU to maintain and expand its sanctions policy against Russia and Belarus, to monitor and analyze its effectiveness and impact, and to systematically address the problem of sanctions circumvention by EU-based companies, third parties and third countries.
Reaffirming their strong belief that Russia should be financially compensated for the destruction it has caused in Ukraine, MEPs reportedly welcomed recent EU efforts to channel the proceeds of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine's military efforts. They also want "a robust legal regime for the confiscation of Russian state assets frozen by the EU".
The European Parliament also welcomed the outcome of the recent NATO summit and reiterated its position that Ukraine is on an irreversible path to NATO membership. MEPs call on the EU and its member states to increase military support for Ukraine as much as necessary and in whatever form is needed. They also called on the European Commission to offer long-term financial assistance for Ukraine's reconstruction, building on the experience of the recently established Ukraine Facility .
The European Parliament reportedly "condemns Russia's barbaric missile attack on the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv, as well as the recent visit of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to the Russian Federation, which does not represent the EU and is a flagrant violation of EU treaties and common foreign policy." The text says that Hungary should be held accountable for these actions. "Given that the so-called 'peace mission' of the Hungarian Prime Minister was immediately followed by an attack on a children's hospital, the resolution also says that this shows the 'inappropriateness' of Orban's alleged peace efforts," the European institution said.
The resolution was adopted with 495 votes in favor, 137 against and 47 abstentions.