European Parliament calls for providing Ukraine with Taurus and New Patriot amid "new phase in war"
Kyiv • UNN
The EP adopted a resolution calling for providing Ukraine with aircraft, Taurus missiles and air defense systems. The document also calls for tougher sanctions against Iran, Belarus and North Korea for supporting aggression.
The European Parliament in its resolution pointed out that Pyongyang's participation and Russia's testing of new ballistic missiles in Ukraine mark a "new phase in the war", called on Beijing to stop all military assistance or dual-use assistance to Russia, and also asked the EU and the bloc countries to strengthen military support for Ukraine, including providing aircraft, long-range missiles, in particular Taurus, modern air defense systems, including Patriot and SAMP/T, writes UNN with reference to a message on the website of the European Institute.
Details
Euro parliamentarians called on the international community to take rapid and decisive measures to respond to the alarming escalation of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
In a resolution adopted on Thursday, the European Parliament condemned Russia's use of North Korean troops against the Ukrainian army and its testing of new ballistic missiles in Ukraine. "These recent escalation steps represent a new phase in the war and a new risk to the security of Europe as a whole," MEPs say, calling on the EU and other partners of Ukraine to respond accordingly.
Insisting that "no negotiations on Ukraine can take place without Ukraine," the MEPs call on the EU to work to achieve the widest possible international support for Ukraine and find a peaceful solution to the war. The European Parliament calls for the involvement of the EU and member states in the implementation of the Ukrainian formula for peace and the creation of the necessary conditions for holding the second Peace Summit, including by involving the countries of the Global South.
sanctions
Condemning Iran, Belarus and North Korea for their military support for Russia, MEPs are calling on EU member states to further strengthen the sanctions regime against these countries. They emphasize that both Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine and North Korea's involvement in the war and its nuclear and missile programs pose a serious threat to the rules-based international order.
China
MEPs are also calling on Beijing to stop all military or dual-use aid it provides to Russia, adding that refusing to change course risks seriously affecting bilateral relations between the EU and China. Instead, European parliamentarians say, China could use its significant influence on North Korea and Russia to help ease tensions.
strengthening military support for Ukraine
The resolution requires the EU Council to expand sanctions against Russia, especially against sectors of particular economic importance, such as the metallurgical, nuclear, chemical, agricultural and banking sectors, as well as against Russian raw materials.
"Members of the European Parliament ask the EU and its member states to strengthen military support for Ukraine, including by providing aircraft, long-range missiles, including Taurus missiles, modern air defense systems, including Patriot and SAMP/T, and ammunition, as well as MANPADS (man-portable air defense systems), artillery and training programs for Ukrainian forces," the report says.
All EU member states and NATO allies should commit to providing military support to Ukraine both collectively and individually, at least 0.25% of their GDP per year, the resolution says. MEPs welcome US President Joe Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to use advanced missile systems for military purposes in Russia and call on the EU and its member states to take similar measures. Emphasizing their common strategic interest in supporting Ukraine, they call on the EU and its member states to work with the new administration in Washington to strengthen mutually beneficial transatlantic cooperation.
The resolution was adopted by 390 votes in favor, 135 against, with 52 abstentions.
