The Chair of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, has addressed a formal sitting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Welcoming Stefanchuk to the hemicycle on Tuesday, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said: “I am proud that this Parliament has stood with Ukraine from the very first moment – united, unwavering, and resolute.”
The MEP said, “We will keep pushing for peace. Peace must be just, it must be dignified, and it must be based on the principle of ‘Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine’.
In his address,Stefanchuk, called on the EU to continue and increase its support for Ukraine. His country, he said, needs more defense systems, more airplanes and more investment in its military industry.
“Peace in Ukraine can only be achieved if we stay strong and put consolidated pressure on the Russian aggressor, in order to defend the civilized world,” Mr Stefanchuck said. “Russia does not only want to ruin our country, he added, it will want to move west, first towards Kyiv, and then towards Warsaw and Brussels. The danger is much closer than you think.”
He told MEPs, “To stop the aggression and to achieve a lasting peace, it is also essential that Russia faces sanctions it cannot circumvent, he said, while calling for additional sanctions. The president of the Ukrainian Parliament also called for the punishment of those responsible for war crimes.”
“Russia has crossed all the red lines imaginable in this war,“ he said.
On Ukraine’s wish to join the EU, Stefanchuk told the plenary his country will become stronger and better after this war as it is committed to the reform process. It hopes to open the first cluster of issues in the negotiations during the Polish presidency, he said.
In a debate preceding the address by Stefanchuk, MEPs considered the prospects of future ceasefire negotiations and a peace deal.
Some speakers remarked that nothing must be discussed about Ukraine and without Ukraine, and nothing decided without Europe.
Europe, they said, must be ready to assume a greater responsibility in providing security guarantees and preparing Kyiv for future NATO and EU membership.
Others underlined the need to confiscate Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, while several MEPs expressed serious concerns about how much Europe has paid and will continue to pay to support Ukraine.
