On continuing the unwavering EU support for Ukraine, after three years of Russia’s war of aggression

B100161/2025

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

(2025/2528(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Ukraine and on Russia, in particular those adopted since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula on 19 February 2014,

– having regard to the Association Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part, and to the accompanying Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between the European Union and Ukraine, signed in 2014,

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

– having regard to the European Council’s decision of 14 December 2023 to open accession negotiations with Ukraine, following the Commission’s positive recommendation of 8 November 2023 in this regard,

– having regard to the conclusions of the special European Council of 6 March 2025,

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

A. whereas Russia has been waging an illegal, unprovoked and unjustified full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine since 24 February 2022; whereas Russia’s war against Ukraine started in 2014 with the illegal occupation and annexation of the Crimean peninsula and the subsequent occupation of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions; whereas this war of aggression constitutes a blatant and flagrant violation of the UN Charter and of the fundamental principles of international law;

B. whereas Russia’s actions in Ukraine over the past three years continue to threaten peace and security in Europe and worldwide; whereas the Russian war of aggression is the largest military conflict on the European continent since the end of World War II and reflects the growing conflict between authoritarianism and democracy;

C. whereas Ukraine and its citizens have shown unwavering determination in resisting Russia’s war of aggression, successfully defending their country, despite the high cost in civilian and military casualties, along with the destruction of civilian and public infrastructure – in particular that provide water, energy and electricity – the natural environment and cultural heritage; whereas the brave people of Ukraine were awarded the 2022 Sakharov Prize as a tribute to their courage and resilience;

D. whereas a number of non-EU countries, notably Iran, North Korea and Belarus, have provided Russia with substantial deliveries of weapons and ammunition, and Belarus has allowed Russia to use its territory to attack Ukraine; whereas North Korean troops have been deployed on the battlefield and are fighting alongside the Russian army;

E. whereas the EU and its Member States have provided the most substantial cumulative support for Ukraine in all areas since the start of the full-scale invasion; whereas the overall assistance pledged to Ukraine by the EU, its Member States and European financial institutions since February 2022 amounts to close to EUR 140 billion, including humanitarian and emergency assistance, budget support, macro-financial assistance and military aid; whereas the EU and its Member States have frozen approximately EUR 300 billion worth of Russian sovereign assets;

F. whereas the European Council decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine following the positive recommendation of the Commission; whereas the first intergovernmental conference took place on 25 June 2024, launching the negotiation process and adopting the negotiating framework;

G. whereas the EU has adopted 16 packages of sanctions since the onset of the war and has created a new role of International Special Envoy for the Implementation of EU Sanctions, specifically tasked with tackling the evasion and circumvention of sanctions targeting Russia and its proxies Belarus, Iran and North Korea;

H. whereas the new US President, Donald Trump, undertook efforts to achieve a possible ceasefire and peace in the war in Ukraine by making demands on Ukraine, putting limitations on its sovereign choices, by excluding NATO membership a priori, declaring the return to pre-2014 borders unrealistic, demanding compensation for alleged assistance to Ukraine amounting to USD 350 billion and labelling President Zelenskyy ‘a dictator’; whereas no known demands have been expressed towards Russia from the US side; whereas the United States and Ukraine have been negotiating an agreement on the joint exploitation of Ukrainian rare earth minerals; whereas that agreement has not been concluded to date, as it does not envisage any security guarantees for Ukraine; whereas the United States suspended its military assistance to, and intelligence sharing with, Ukraine on 3 March 2025;

I. whereas President Donald Trump ordered a sweeping freeze of US foreign aid, halting hundreds of critical projects in Ukraine, including demining activities, military veteran rehabilitation, independent media and anti-corruption initiatives;

J. whereas Russia’s war of aggression shows its imperialistic attitude towards its neighbours; whereas as long as the Russian state continues to pursue revisionist policies, its efforts will continue to mean the ever-looming threat of conflict on the European continent; whereas numerous international actors have recognised Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and a state that uses means of terrorism;

K. whereas a special European Council took place on 6 March 2025 dedicated to the situation in Ukraine and the need to strengthen European defence; whereas the European Council endorsed the defence package put forward by the Commission on strengthening European defence through a ReArm Europe plan and the reiteration of its support for Ukraine, highlighting in particular that there can be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine and that there can be no negotiations that affect European security without Europe’s involvement, and, furthermore, that Ukraine’s security and European, transatlantic and global security are intertwined;

1. Marking the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, pays tribute to the thousands of people who have sacrificed their lives for a free and democratic Ukraine; reiterates, therefore, its unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine and its support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders; strongly underlines Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defence in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter;

2. Reiterates its condemnation, in the strongest possible terms, of Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as of the involvement of Belarus, North Korea and Iran; demands that Russia and its proxy forces cease all military actions and that Russia withdraw all military forces, proxies and military equipment from the entire internationally recognised territory of Ukraine; condemns the atrocities committed against the Ukrainian population by the Russian invading force and the indiscriminate destruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure;

3. Considers Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine a serious threat to European security and stability; underlines that the Russian war of aggression has fundamentally changed the geopolitical situation in Europe and beyond, and threatens its security architecture, and that the response to this necessitates bold, brave and comprehensive political, security and financial decisions by the EU; believes that a Ukraine that is capable of defending itself effectively is an integral part of a stable and predictable European security landscape;

4. Believes that the outcome of the war and the stance taken by the international community will play a crucial role in influencing future actions by other authoritarian regimes, which are closely observing the course of the war and assessing how much space there is for them to exert aggressive foreign policies, including by military means;

5. In the light of the regrettable decision of the US administration to cease all military assistance to, and intelligence sharing with, Ukraine, reiterates its call on the Member States to substantially increase and accelerate their military support, in particular the provision of weapons and ammunition, also through direct financing of the Ukrainian defence industry following the Danish and Dutch example, as well as training, in response to pressing needs, with a view to offsetting, to the extent possible, the shortages created by the US withdrawal; reiterates its position that all EU Member States and NATO allies should collectively and individually commit to supporting Ukraine militarily, with no less than 0.25 % of their GDP annually;

6. Reiterates its support for the peace formula presented by Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy; believes that it is a comprehensive plan to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity and includes the building blocks of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine based on the principles of the UN Charter and international law; underlines that any genuine peace negotiations must be conducted in good faith and include Ukraine; reminds that any settlement that excludes Ukraine or undermines its legitimate aspirations, such as its right to choose its own security arrangements, or which lacks credible security guarantees for Ukraine that contribute to deterring future Russian aggression, will be neither just nor viable; stresses that the goal of peace negotiations with Russia must not be to allow it to achieve a victory over Ukraine through diplomacy that it has so far been unable to obtain militarily; stresses that the international community supporting Ukraine must ensure that Ukraine is in the strongest possible military position when peace negotiations begin, for their duration, and when they are concluded;

7. Considers that, in the above-mentioned context, the current attempts by the US administration to negotiate a ceasefire and peace agreement with Russia over the heads of Ukraine and European states, in which the latter are confronted with the outcome without their meaningful participation, as counterproductive and dangerous, as it leads to empowering the belligerent state, thus showing that an aggressive policy is rewarded rather than punished; highlights that the financial support provided by the EU and its Member States to Ukraine exceeds that of any other country, reflecting the Union’s unparalleled commitment to Ukraine and consequently to the security of Europe; underscores that the EU’s role in any negotiations impacting the security of Europe must be commensurate with its political and economic weight; reconfirms that there can be no negotiations touching on European security without the European Union at the table;

8. Expresses dismay concerning the policy of the US administration of appeasing Russia and targeting its allies; warns that this policy undermines the trust of traditional US allies around the world and can have devastating consequences for the transatlantic bond, peace and stability in Europe and beyond; warns that in the worst-case scenario, it might lead to the dismantling of the post-World War II security architecture, which was further strengthened after the fall of communism through NATO enlargement; regrets that the latest political developments show that the EU and its Member States can unfortunately no longer fully rely on the US administration to defend our shared values and interests;

9. Welcomes the conclusions of the special European Council of 6 March 2025 and its support for a rapid strengthening of European defence through the ReArm Europe plan and reiterating its support for Ukraine, highlighting in particular that there can be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine and that there can be no negotiations that affect European security without Europe’s involvement, and, furthermore, that Ukraine’s security and European, transatlantic and global security are intertwined

10. Emphasises that all those responsible for war crimes perpetrated in Ukraine must be held accountable and stresses that no peace will be sustainable without justice; reiterates its call on the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Member States to work together with Ukraine and the international community on setting up a special tribunal to investigate and prosecute the crime of aggression committed against Ukraine by Russia’s leaders and their allies; welcomes the establishment of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine in The Hague;

11. Welcomes the European Council’s decision to open accession negotiations with Ukraine once the Commission’s recommendations are met; believes that Ukraine’s membership of the EU represents a geostrategic investment in a united and strong Europe and that it equates to showing leadership, resolve and vision;

12. Calls on the Ukrainian authorities to strengthen internal political unity in Ukraine, uphold parliamentary pluralism and engage in constructive cooperation with the political parties in the Verkhovna Rada;

13. Calls on the Ukrainian authorities to strengthen national cohesion by upholding respect for the principle of division of powers, multi-party pluralism and inclusion, due regard for the powers and rights of local authorities / local self-governing bodies, respect for the rule of law and freedoms, including media pluralism, in line with the democratic principles and values that Ukrainians are so resolutely and bravely defending;

14. Underlines the vital importance of internal political unity as a fundamental pillar of Ukraine’s long-term resilience against the continuing aggression of the Russian Federation; calls on all political groups in Ukraine, both in the government and opposition, to join forces to resist Russian efforts to undermine Ukrainian society and to mobilise it in the fight against the aggressor, to ease public tensions and to avoid any sort of mutual political harassment, politically motivated persecutions or erosion of public trust in the state or military institutions;

15. Reiterates its concern about the restriction on foreign travel by members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; believes that this could be considered an indiscriminate restriction of the political activity of elected members of parliament, in particular of those representing the opposition; strongly believes that, in times of war, any political resource that can represent Ukraine’s cause in any international forum should not be disregarded;

16. Calls for the EU, the Member States and like-minded partners to provide comprehensive and coordinated political, economic, technical and humanitarian assistance to support the sustainable and inclusive post-war reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine; reaffirms the EU’s commitment to sustainable and long-term financial and economic support to Ukraine, including macro-financial assistance, support for reconstruction and economic and social recovery and measures to ensure the resilience of Ukraine’s economy and critical infrastructure; reaffirms its call on the Commission to propose a sound legal basis for the confiscation of all immobilised Russian assets;

17. Calls on the Council to maintain, mirror where possible and extend its sanctions policy against Russia, Belarus, Iran and North Korea, while monitoring, reviewing and enhancing its effectiveness and impact; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the swift implementation and strict enforcement of all 16 packages of sanctions, including sanctions on the ‘shadow fleet’, and to strengthen cooperation among Member States; asks the Commission for an impact assessment of the effectiveness of sanctions in hindering the Russian war effort and on the effectiveness of measures to prevent the circumvention of sanctions;

18. Reiterates its concern about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is illegally controlled by Russia; supports efforts to maintain a continued International Atomic Energy Agency presence at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant; reiterates its deep concern about the broader long-term environmental impact of the war;

19. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the President, Government and Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and the United Nations.