The EPP Group has called for military assistance for Ukraine and new sanctions against Russia.
“Russia amassing more than 40,000 troops near the Ukrainian border is an escalation and a serious threat to European stability and security as well as to Ukrainian sovereignty”, said EPP Group Vice-Chairwoman Sandra Kalniete MEP ahead of today’s debate on the so-called Minsk Protocol in the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
“The European Union and the United States must clearly and explicitly communicate to Russia the price it will have to pay for its aggression. And this price must be high”, Kalniete continued.
New sanctions must include an immediate stop of the Nord Stream pipeline project, a freezing of assets and travel bans for pro-Kremlin oligarchs and their families, as well as disconnecting Russia from the international SWIFT payment system”, she explained.
“At the same time, we must assist Ukraine militarily in terms of strengthening capabilities, and politically. The leading European powers must agree to grant Ukraine the NATO Membership Action Plan. We can no longer politically hide behind the excuse of ‘avoiding angering Russia’”.
Sandra Kalniete MEP
“We must see the Russian regime for what it is – a threatened, insecure dictatorship that keeps its power through aggression against its neighbours. We have seen this film before. We cannot afford to see it again. Russia never intended to fulfil its obligations under the Minsk Protocol, despite hypocritically criticising Ukraine at every opportunity”, Kalniete concluded.
