What changed

B100163/2025

B100156/2025

European Parliament resolution on continuing the unwavering EU support for Ukraine, after three years of Russia’s war of aggression

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on UkraineRussia’s andwar Russia,of aggression against Ukraine,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/792 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 February 2024 establishing the Ukraine Facility, and to other forms of EU support for Ukraine,

– having regard to the Charter of the United Nations,

– having regard to the joint statement by the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Parliament of 24 February 2025 on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,

– having regard to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC),

– having regard to the UN Charter, the Hague Conventions, the Geneva Conventions and the additional protocols thereto, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,Conventions,

– having regard to UN General Assembly Resolution ES-11/7 adopted on 24 February 2025 entitled ‘Advancing a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine’,

– having regard to the Helsinki Final Act of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) of 1 August 1975, the Charter of Paris for a New Europe of the OSCE of 21 November 1990 and the UN Memorandum on Security Assurances in Connection with Ukraine’s Accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons of 5 December 1994 (the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances),

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Russiathe Russian Federation has been waging an illegal,unprovoked, unprovokedunjustified and unjustified full-scaleillegal war of aggression against Ukraine since 24 February 2022, continuingin itscontinuation 2014of annexationprevious ofaggressions Crimeasince 2014, and occupationcontinues ofto partspersistently ofviolate Donetskthe andprinciples Luhansk;of whereasthe moreUN thanCharter 10through yearsits onacts fromof aggression against the 2014sovereignty, invasion,independence Russiaand continuesterritorial tointegrity openlyof violateUkraine Ukraine’sand sovereigntyto blatantly and territorialgrossly integrity,violate causinginternational severehumanitarian humanitarian,law, economicas andestablished ecologicalby consequencesthe andGeneva regionalConventions instability;of 1949;

B. whereas Russian forces have systematically targeted residential areas and civilian infrastructure, killing thousands of Ukrainian civilians, destroying public and private property and committing ecocide; whereas Russian forces are responsible for illegal detentions, torture, the execution of civilians and prisoners of war, forced disappearances and deportations, including the deportation of children and their forced adoption by Russians, and other acts of terror, including sexual violence; whereas Russia continues to alter the ethnic composition of occupied Ukrainian territories;

B. whereas the UN General Assembly, in its resolution of 2 March 2022, immediately qualified the Russian war against Ukraine as an act of aggression in violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, and, in its resolution of 14 November 2022, recognised the need to hold the Russian Federation accountable for its war of aggression and legally and financially responsible for its internationally wrongful acts, including by making reparation for the injury and damage caused;

C. whereas on 2 March 2022, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an investigation into the situation in Ukraine, focusing on war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed on Ukrainian territory from 21 November 2013 onwards;

C. whereas the ICC has been conducting an investigation into the situation in Ukraine since 2 March 2022 and on 17 March 2023 issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and Maria Lvova-Belova, so-called Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, for the war crime of unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children; whereas the EU supports the establishment of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression;

D. whereas Russia’s war has devastated Ukrainian children’s lives, with over 1 800 killed or injured and millions displaced; whereas over 65 % of Ukrainian children are living in poverty, and up to 100 000 remain in institutional care; whereas the education of children has been severely disrupted, with many reliant on remote learning amid power and internet shortages; whereas over 1.5 million Ukrainian children are at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, and nearly half experience distress and isolation;

D. whereas, in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU has adopted 16 sanctions packages of unprecedented scope against Russia, has provided over EUR 67 billion of support to Ukraine in the form of humanitarian and emergency assistance, budget support and macro-financial assistance, and over EUR 48 billion of military aid, has welcomed more than four million refugees from Ukraine and has expressed its support for the people of Ukraine and their leadership by launching negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU;

E. whereas Ukraine and international bodies have documented hundreds of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces since February 2022; whereas such executions constitute serious violations of international law and human rights and are explicitly recognised as war crimes under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the ICC;

E. whereas the EU and its Member States, together with international partners and NATO allies, continue to provide substantial military support to Ukraine in order to assist it in exercising its legitimate right to self-defence, under Article 51 of the UN Charter, against Russia’s aggression;

F. whereas the UN General Assembly, in its resolution adopted on 2 March 2022, deplored in the strongest terms Russia’s war against Ukraine as an act of aggression in violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, and, in its resolution adopted on 14 November 2022, recognised the need to hold Russia accountable and liable for reparations for its internationally wrongful acts;

F. whereas, despite broad international condemnation of its war of aggression against Ukraine and unprecedented sanctions, the Russian political and military leadership, with the support of its regular army and proxies, continues to terrorise the people of Ukraine through indiscriminate attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure, targeted attacks on critical infrastructure, forced deportations and adoptions of deported children, mass killings, torture and rape;

G. whereas a number of non-EU countries, notably Iran, North Korea, China and Belarus, have provided Russia with significant military support; whereas North Korea has been providing Russia with weapons and combat troops, and Belarus has allowed Russia to use its territory to attack Ukraine, which amount to acts of aggression under international law; whereas Russia and China signed a ‘no-limits partnership’ on 4 February 2022, and subsequently, China has become a key enabler of the Russian war effort through its massive support for Russia’s economy, its defence industrial base and its supply of dual-use equipment;

1. Reaffirms its belief that Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine is a brutal attack against the peaceful life of European citizens in a sovereign country and against the principles of cooperation and security in Europe, as agreed under the 1975 Helsinki Final Act and the 1990 Charter of Paris for a New Europe, as well as a grave violation of international law and the UN Charter; emphasises that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine threatens the security and stability, democracy and prosperity of the entire European continent in an unprecedented manner and therefore requires equally unprecedented actions in response;

H. whereas the EU and its Member States stand in solidarity with Ukraine, providing significant humanitarian, financial, political and military support; whereas the EU is the largest donor to Ukraine, with assistance amounting to EUR 135 billion;

2. Reiterates its condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its demands that the Russian Federation immediately, completely and unconditionally cease its attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure, terminate all military activities in Ukraine, withdraw all military forces, proxies and military equipment from the entire internationally recognised territory of Ukraine, end forced deportations of Ukrainian civilians, release and return all detained Ukrainians, and permanently cease violating or threatening the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine;

I. whereas the EU has recently adopted its 16th sanctions package against Russia to weaken its economic base, deprive it of critical technologies and limit its ability to wage war; whereas the new sanctions target additional individuals and entities, including military firms, sanctions evaders, non-EU country supporters, Kremlin propagandists, shadow fleet networks, and individuals involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children; whereas the EU sanctions now apply to over 2 400 individuals and entities, subjecting them to asset freezes, funding bans and travel restrictions;

3. Expresses its dismay that, after three full years of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, efforts made so far have not yet been sufficient to end the aggression; urges the EU, its Member States and their international partners and transatlantic allies to undertake even more effective military, political and diplomatic efforts, and in particular to massively increase their military support to Ukraine in order to ultimately stop Russia’s war of aggression and allow Ukraine to liberate all its people, re-establish full control over its entire territory within its internationally recognised borders and deter any further aggression by Russia; underlines that the negative global consequences of any future Russian aggression far outweigh the military and financial commitment needed today to definitively end Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and deter future aggressions;

J. whereas, under the administration of US President Donald Trump, the United States has significantly changed its stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine; whereas the US Secretary of Defense marked this shift by declaring NATO membership for Ukraine and the return to pre-2014 borders as unrealistic, before negotiations with Russia even began; whereas recent events and statements by the Trump administration in Washington, D.C., during the 28 February 2025 visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are inappropriate and blatantly false, not conducive to stability in bilateral relations or to providing the much-needed support for Ukraine; whereas, according to widely recognised democratic principles, elections cannot be conducted during wartime and under martial law, especially when millions of Ukrainians have been displaced;

4. Reaffirms its commitment to supporting Ukraine’s desire for a just and lasting peace that must be based on full respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, the principles of international law, accountability for war crimes and the crime of aggression, and Russian payments for the massive damage caused in Ukraine, and that must effectively exclude any further aggression by Russia; urges the EU and its Member States to work with like-minded partners to ensure that peace negotiations take place in accordance with the above principles; recognises that peace negotiations will require compromises on both sides; underlines, however, that Russia’s aggression is unprovoked, unjustified and illegal, and that the EU, its Member States and all countries which adhere to the UN Charter must reject any compromise proposals that would further undermine the principles of international law and the rules-based international order;

K. whereas recent US-Russia talks in Riyadh excluded Ukraine and the EU, and the United States did not consult its European allies before ending its part in the effort to isolate Russia; whereas the new US administration has downplayed Russia’s responsibility for starting the war and, alongside Russia and its allies, voted against the UN General Assembly Resolution (ES-11/7) adopted on 24 February 2025 deploring Russia’s aggression; whereas on 3 March 2025, President Trump temporarily suspended the delivery of all US military aid to Ukraine, including the aid that had been approved by the previous US administration; whereas this unprecedented position threatens Ukraine’s capacity to withstand Russia’s war of aggression, and makes clear that Washington’s commitment to holding Russia accountable is no longer dependable and undermines international efforts to address the crisis;

5. Strongly disapproves of any attempts at blackmailing Ukraine’s leadership into surrendering to the Russian aggressor for the sole purpose of announcing a so-called peace deal; considers that Russia’s imperial aggression towards Ukraine, and other neighbouring and European countries, will not cease unless a fair and sustainable peace is reached in Ukraine; concludes that, taking into account Russia’s history of violating previous agreements and fundamental principles of international law, such a peace can only be reached through strength, including effective security guarantees;

L. whereas President Trump has ordered a sweeping freeze on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), halting hundreds of critical projects in Ukraine, including demining activities, military veteran rehabilitation, independent media and anti-corruption initiatives;

6. Expresses its strong disapproval of the latest US statements, decisions and actions under the Trump administration, which derail previous efforts at ending Russia’s war of aggression, effectively undermine the security of Ukraine and therefore endanger the security of Europe and, instead, embolden the Russian aggressor, and furthermore jeopardise a decades-long transatlantic partnership based on common security and prosperity;

M. whereas Ukraine’s defeat would be widely viewed as a strategic defeat for Europe, the United States and the entire NATO alliance and as a reward for the aggressor, the Russian Federation led by Vladimir Putin, with far-reaching security consequences, the extent of which cannot be overstated; whereas depending on the outcome of the war in Ukraine, it will likely have rippling effects in other parts of the world, notably the Indo-Pacific, and could encourage other revisionist powers to pursue their own hegemonic ambitions;

7. Notes the unwavering commitment of 26 EU Member States to Ukraine, but calls for the EU and its Member States to substantially enhance and accelerate military support to Ukraine in order to allow Ukraine to legitimately defend itself against Russia’s war of aggression and put Ukraine in the strongest possible position for negotiations about its future; underlines that Ukraine and its leadership must be empowered to resist and prevent further Russian attacks and reject hasty deals that weaken its security in the medium to long term and risk subjecting Ukraine and other countries, including EU Member States, to renewed Russian aggression;

N. whereas since the outbreak of the war, undersea cables in the Baltic Sea and key infrastructure have been targeted, presumably by Russia- and China-linked actors;

8. Urges all Member States to immediately provide additional military assistance and to engage in joint procurement of additional capabilities, in particular ammunition for air defence and artillery; urges Member States and their defence industries to invest in and partner with the Ukrainian defence industry in order to maximise the full potential of its production capabilities so as to produce critical equipment in the most efficient way, as demonstrated by the ‘Danish model’; urges restrictions to be lifted on the use of Western weapons systems delivered to Ukraine against military targets on Russian territory as these are used to launch attacks against Ukraine’s population and critical civilian infrastructure;

1. Reiterates its strongest possible condemnation of Russia’s unprovoked, illegal and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine; demands that Russia immediately terminate all military activities in Ukraine, fully withdraw from Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory, end forced deportations, release all detained and deported Ukrainians, especially children and including those forcibly adopted by Russians, and compensate Ukraine for the damage caused; underlines that Russia, its leadership and its allies bear full responsibility for the war and the atrocities committed against Ukrainians, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, ecocide, and possibly genocide, and calls for full accountability in this regard; welcomes progress towards establishing a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and underlines the necessity that the jurisdiction of this tribunal would cover the entire leadership of Russia and Belarus responsible for the aggression against Ukraine; honours the bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people in defending their country, democracy and international law; pays tribute to all those who have sacrificed their lives for freedom and reaffirms its commitment to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity;

9. Calls on the Council, the Commission and the Member States to increase the effectiveness and impact of sanctions on Russia in order to definitively undermine Russia’s ability to continue waging its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine and threatening the security of other European countries; welcomes the 16th sanctions package of 24 February 2025 but calls for the preparation of the next sanctions package to begin already; calls in particular for a full embargo on imports of Russian fossil fuels and liquefied natural gas, as well as anti-circumvention measures, such as sanctions against non-EU countries and entities that provide Russia with military and dual-use goods and technologies; calls for further actions against the Russian ‘shadow fleet’, in the light of sanctions circumvention, sabotage of critical infrastructure and environmental risks;

2. Emphasises that a sustainable and just peace can be achieved only on the basis of international law, which requires the full restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, full reparation to Ukraine for the aggression, and full accountability of those responsible; underlines that effective and enduring security guarantees for Ukraine must include collective defence obligations, such as those under the North Atlantic Treaty; notes that any other security guarantees, including the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, have proved meaningless;

10. Reiterates that Russia’s deliberate attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine, destruction of civilian infrastructure, use of sexual violence and rape as a weapon of war, deportation of thousands of Ukrainian citizens to the territory of the Russian Federation, forced transfer and adoption of Ukrainian children, and other serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law all constitute war crimes for which all perpetrators must be held accountable;

3. Expresses deep concern over the apparent shift in the United States’ stance on Russia’s war of aggression, which has included openly blaming Ukraine for the ongoing war, suspending US military aid, and attempting to coerce Ukraine into relinquishing its legitimate right to self-defence and to making territorial concessions; stresses that, in light of this change, the EU with its Member States is now Ukraine’s primary strategic ally and must first and foremost maintain its role as the largest donor to Ukraine, and significantly increase its assistance and support, particularly regarding the defence equipment, training and strategic assistance necessary to uphold Ukraine’s right to self-defence and contribute, insofar as is possible, to replacing the suspended USAID funding for critical programmes and projects, while ensuring long-term aid for reconstruction and recovery;

11. Emphasises its full support for the ongoing investigation by the Prosecutor of the ICC into the situation in Ukraine based on alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide; welcomes Ukraine’s ratification of the Rome Statute of the ICC, which allowed it to become a state party to it as of January 2025; in this context, expresses its utmost concern about the US sanctions against the ICC, its prosecutors, judges and staff, which constitute a serious attack on the international justice system; calls on the Commission to urgently activate the Blocking Statute and on the Member States to urgently increase their diplomatic efforts in order to protect and safeguard the ICC as an indispensable cornerstone of the international justice system; reiterates its full support for the establishment of a special tribunal to investigate and prosecute the crime of aggression committed by the leadership of the Russian Federation against Ukraine;

4. Calls for the EU and its Member States to take the latest developments in US-Ukraine relations as the final wake-up call for stepping in as Ukraine’s leading partner, and actively work towards maintaining the broadest possible international support for Ukraine, including through building a ‘coalition of the able and willing’ with like-minded non-EU partners;

12. Reiterates its firm conviction that Russia must pay for the massive damage caused in Ukraine and therefore calls for the confiscation of Russian state assets immobilised under EU sanctions and their use to support Ukraine’s defence and reconstruction;

5. Reaffirms the EU’s commitment to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and supports Ukraine’s Peace Formula as a framework for international engagement; insists that no negotiations on Ukraine or European security can take place without the presence of Ukraine and the EU; stresses that any peace agreement must uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and prevent Russia from rearming for future aggression; believes that the EU must contribute to robust security guarantees for Ukraine to deter further Russian hostilities; continues to recognise President Zelenskyy as the legitimate leader of Ukraine until democratic elections can be held;

13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the President, Government and Parliament of Ukraine.

6. Highlights the decisive role of the EU in defining the contours of Europe’s future security architecture; calls on the EU and its Member States to assume responsibility for security of the continent, considering the changing geopolitical landscape and increased security threats; calls on all EU Member States to significantly increase defence spending beyond the 2 % NATO target; highlights the urgent need to strengthen the European defence industry, as well as that of Ukraine, and increase military aid to Ukraine, while enhancing the EU’s own defence readiness and sovereignty; calls for expanded EU military support to Ukraine, including aircraft, long-range missiles, modern air-defence systems and ammunition and training, as well as accelerated deliveries of equipment; reiterates its position that all EU Member States commit at least 0.25 % of their GDP annually to providing military support to Ukraine;

7. Calls for the EU to continue strengthening its strategic cooperation and coordination with like-minded partners worldwide, such as the G7, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, as well as its constructive engagement with partners in the Global South in order to uphold the multilateral system based on the UN Charter;

8. Welcomes the recent adoption of the 16th EU sanctions package against Russia; calls for further sanctions on key Russian industrial sectors (metallurgical, nuclear, chemical, agricultural and banking) and raw materials (steel, uranium, titanium and nickel); calls for a full embargo on Russian fossil fuels, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), and further reductions in the price cap on Russian petroleum products, in coordination with G7 partners; calls for further sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet and an end to cooperation with Russia’s nuclear energy sector; urges the Member States to systematically tackle the issue of sanctions circumvention; calls for a clear pledge that the EU will uphold its sanctions against Russia as long as needed to secure a just victory for Ukraine; calls for the EU and its Member States to consider measures for the confiscation of frozen Russian assets;

9. Welcomes the EU’s Ukraine Facility, which has a budget of almost EUR 50 billion, and the EU’s Ukraine Loan Cooperation Mechanism, which, in cooperation with the G7, offers loans to Ukraine of up to EUR 45 billion; nevertheless, urges the preparation for Ukraine’s reconstruction by dedicating and securing new resources; reiterates the need and the urgency for legal and financial mechanisms to confiscate, as soon as possible, frozen Russian state assets and use them to support Ukraine’s defence and reconstruction, to compensate victims of Russia’s aggression, and to contribute to the funding of the legitimate war reparations due from Russia to Ukraine;

10. Reaffirms that Ukraine’s future lies in the EU; welcomes progress on accession-related reforms despite wartime conditions; calls for the acceleration of accession talks, recognising Ukraine’s EU integration as a strategic priority; reaffirms the EU’s commitment to Ukraine’s future NATO membership, highlighting its importance for regional and global security; recalls NATO’s commitments to admitting Ukraine into the Alliance; notes in this regard NATO’s consistent open door policy, in accordance with which NATO remains open to all European democracies that share the values of the Alliance, and in accordance with which decisions on membership have to be taken only by NATO allies, with no third party having a say in this process;

11. Strongly condemns the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces; calls for the EU, its Member States and international partners to increase pressure on Russia to comply with its international obligations, particularly the Geneva Convention, and allow international organisations access to prisoners;

12. Condemns the devastating impact of Russia’s war on children; calls for increased EU support for children’s education, healthcare, mental health services, and for child protection, including trauma recovery and safe learning environments; urges the EU and Ukraine to prioritise children’s needs in aid and reconstruction efforts, in clearing landmines, and in integrating child welfare into the EU accession process;

13. Commends Ukrainian and international civil society organisations for supporting families of abducted Ukrainian children, prisoners of war and illegally detained civilians; calls for the EU, its Member States and the international community to assist their efforts and intensify pressure on Russia to return all abducted and detained Ukrainians;

14. Reiterates its condemnation of military support for Russia from non-EU countries, including North Korea, Iran and Belarus, and of the supply of dual-use goods and military items to Russia by China; reiterates its call on the Member States to further expand sanctions against North Korea, Belarus and Iran in light of these countries’ military support for Russia’s war of aggression, and to sanction the key Chinese entities and individuals directly supporting Russia’s war effort and defence sector and enabling Russia to evade sanctions, including entities based in Hong Kong;

15. Calls on the EU and its Member States to strengthen EU strategic communication, particularly to publicly set the record straight about the EU’s leading support to Ukraine, especially in light of claims that seek to diminish its contribution, to counter hybrid threats and grey zone activities, and to prevent Russian interference in political, electoral, and other democratic processes in Ukraine and Europe; urges proactive communication on EU enlargement benefits to enhance public understanding and support for Ukraine’s accession in both Ukraine and the Member States; underlines that Ukraine’s EU integration is an opportunity for the development of both bordering regions and the Member States;

16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the relevant EU institutions, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the President, Government and Parliament of Ukraine, the United Nations and the Russian authorities.