| Photo by Glib Albovsky on Unsplash |
Some MEPs have accused the U.S. of abandoning Ukraine.
The claim comes in the wake of the shock suspension of US military aid to Ukraine which was announced on Tuesday.
Greens deputy Mārtiņš Staķis from Latvia, Greens/EFA Coordinator in the Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE), led MEP reaction by saying, “From the very beginning, Americans have stood with those fighting for freedom.
“By abandoning Ukrainians, Trump is not just changing America’s foreign policy but also its moral compass. This will not only affect the frontline but directly impact civilians,” he said.
He went on. “A lack of ammunition for air defence means Russia will continue killing civilians and destroying homes. It is an illusion to think friendly or even normal relations with Russia are possible today.”
“This means that every delay or hesitation in supporting Ukraine only emboldens Russia’s aggression and increases the suffering of innocent people. Now is the time for Europe to step up, boost its support for Ukraine, and utilise Russia’s frozen assets to ensure Ukraine receives the support it desperately needs.”
The pan European Green Party has also criticised what it calls the “dramatic policy shift” of the US administration under President Trump towards Ukraine.
This comes just ahead of the special European Council of 6 March in Brussels when EU leaders will discuss the war in Ukraine.
Ahead of this, leaders of the European Green Party, member parties, and of the Green Group in the European Parliament are pushing for “urgent and decisive measures to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom and to push Europe to take responsibility for security and defence.”
The Greens, in a statement, said, “US President Donald Trump is aligning himself with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.”
The strongly worded statement added, “Trump tries to blackmail Ukraine into a cynical mineral deal. Today he went so far as to freeze US military aid to Ukraine, which is extremely dangerous for Ukraine and world peace. The US President’s actions are driven by personal grudges and contradict the bipartisan military aid packages decided by the previous US Congress.”
In their statement, European Green party leaders expressed their “full support” to Ukraine and its people, as well as their concern about the military and security threat that Russia is said to pose to Europe.
In response, they called for European countries to work together to strengthen their defence capabilities “without delay.”
This includes, they state, pooling defence procurement budgets to deliver additional support to Ukraine and expand Europe’s capabilities.
The statement adds, “Now is also the time to fully seize the Russian frozen assets and use them to further boost Ukraine’s defence. Joint action on defence, suspension of the overly rigid fiscal rules, and joint borrowing are not only essential for defence but also for sustainable investment in the green and just transition.”
Commenting, European Green Party co-chair Vula Tsetsi said: “As the Trump administration turns its back on its allies, Europe has a historic responsibility to stand united in our support for Ukraine, who have now been resisting Russia’s illegal war of aggression for three years. In supporting Ukraine, we also safeguard our own European security and freedoms; it is essential that we reinforce our shared defence and security capabilities. Deepening defence cooperation, alongside accelerating the green transition and protecting the European social model will enhance our collective security. We stand together with Ukraine, its territorial integrity has to be restored.”
Further comment comes from EGP co-chair Ciarán Cuffe who added: “The EU is a peace project built on democracy, freedom, and human rights—values that authoritarian forces seek to undermine. For Ukraine and Europe’s security, we must defend these values without hesitation. In times of crisis, we need to see decisive and coordinated EU action, yet national vetoes have weakened the EU’s response. The EU must move forward by updating its treaties to remove the need for unanimity for foreign and security policy. Meanwhile, Europe’s fossil fuel dependence has bankrolled Russia’s war, so accelerating the green transition is not just a climate necessity, but a strategic imperative.”
Green party leaders said they want to underline that European countries spend their existing defence budgets very inefficiently and that defence spending does not have to come at the expense of social security and the green and just transition.
“The European Union’s model based on cooperation, democratic processes and a robust social model is the strongest answer to a world of strongmen and their oligarch backers,” says the statement.
