European Parliament urges member states to allow Ukraine to hit military targets in Russia
Additionally, the EU Parliament advocates for expanding sanctions against Russia, Iran and China.
In their resolution, European Union Members of Parliament (MEPs) demand that EU countries lift current restrictions that prevent Ukraine from using Western weapons systems against legitimate military targets in Russia.
As can be evidenced from the statement published on the official website of the European Parliament, the text, adopted on 19 September, with 425 votes in favor (131 were against and 63 abstained), notes that without the removal of current restrictions, Ukraine cannot fully exercise its right to self-defense and remains vulnerable to attacks on its population and infrastructure.
”The European Parliament (…) calls on the Member States to immediately lift restrictions on the use of Western weapons systems delivered to Ukraine against legitimate military targets on Russian territory, as this hinders Ukraine’s ability to fully exercise its right to self-defense under international public law and leaves Ukraine exposed to attacks on its population and infrastructure,” the statement reads.
The MEPs emphasized that insufficient ammunition supplies and restrictions on their use “could negate the impact of the efforts made so far” and regretted the decrease in EU bilateral military assistance to Ukraine.
In addition, the statement reads that the parliament urges its member states to fulfill their commitments to Ukrainian defense, while explicitly stating the importance of the delivery of particular types of weapons to Ukraine, among which the Taurus is singled out.
”The European Parliament (…) calls on the Member States to fulfill their commitment of March 2023 to deliver one million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, to accelerate weapons deliveries, in particular of modern air defense systems and other weapons and ammunition in response to clearly identified needs, including Taurus missiles,” parliament states.
The resolution also calls on EU member states to continue and expand the EU Council’s sanctions policy against Russia, Belarus, and non-EU countries and organizations that provide Russia with military and dual-use technology.
In addition, MEPs condemned Iran’s recent transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia and called for stronger sanctions against Tehran and North Korea for their involvement in supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine.
They also want to see more Chinese individuals and entities on the EU sanctions list, as well as tougher measures to systematically address sanctions circumvention by EU companies, third parties and non-EU countries.
Calling on the EU and its member states to work actively to achieve the broadest possible international support for Ukraine and to determine a peaceful solution to the war, the MEPs note that any solution must be based on full respect for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also believe that accountability for Russian war crimes and reparations and other payments from Moscow are important aspects of any solution.
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