EPP Political Assembly unanimously adopts resolution in support of Ukraine
The Political Assembly of the European People's Party (EPP) unanimously adopted a resolution in support of Ukraine, the European Solidarity Ukrainian party which is part of the EPP said on Friday.
"The European People's Party strongly condemns Russia's full-scale aggressive war against Ukraine, which has lasted for more than 1,000 days since it began on 24 February 2022... We underline the responsibility of Russia, which with its brutal actions against Ukraine exacerbates global challenges... We reiterate our firm conviction that Russia must provide financial compensation for the enormous damage caused to Ukraine," according to the text of the resolution, which was submitted for consideration by the leader of European Solidarity Petro Poroshenko.
In this regard, the EPP advocates for the immediate and complete withdrawal of the Russian armed forces from the sovereign territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, without preconditions or subsequent escalation on the ground; for accelerating the provision of air defense systems to Ukraine; for coordinated efforts to lift restrictions on the use of Western-made long-range weapons by Ukraine and granting the right to strike legitimate military targets on the Russian territory.
The party also advocates for strengthening cooperation with Ukraine in the field of advanced technologies and innovations, facilitating the scaling up of Ukrainian developments by integrating them into the European defense infrastructure; increasing financial assistance to Ukraine to ensure macro-financial stability and maintain the ability to finance priority expenditures; strengthening sanctions and eliminating existing loopholes, including against the Russian energy sector, in particular Rosatom and its subsidiaries.
The EPP also advocates for the establishment of a legal regime in the EU that allows for the confiscation of Russian sovereign assets in the EU, for coordinated efforts to implement the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, for ensuring that Western military support for Ukraine exceeds 0.25% of Western GDP annually, for unwavering support for Ukraine's integration into the EU and NATO, as well as for concrete steps to integrate Ukraine into EU defense and cybersecurity policies and programs during the EU accession process.
"If adopted, the proposed EPP resolution will go hand in hand with the corresponding statement of the G7 countries, the European Commission and the logical implementation of the initiative of President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, for which the European Parliament voted a few days ago. The adoption of this resolution today will be especially important against the backdrop of the current situation, in particular yesterday's intercontinental ballistic missile strike on the Dnieper and the appearance of 12,000 North Korean troops along with North Korean shells and North Korean ballistic missiles, Iranian attack drones and Iranian ballistic missiles," Poroshenko said during the presentation of the draft resolution.
After the unanimous adoption of the resolution, EPP Chairman Manfred Weber said the document will form the basis for discussion during the upcoming International Democratic Union (IDU) Forum in Washington, which will take place in early December. The U.S. Republican Party is a member of the IDU.
"There we can present our pro-Ukrainian initiative as a concrete request from Europe's largest party. We will therefore contribute to a broader international discussion," Weber said.
