17 July 2024
In a debate on more and better support for Ukraine during the first session of the newly elected European Parliament, ECR Co-Chairman Joachim Brudziński reiterated his conservative group's full and unwavering support for the country under attack from Russia.
He pointed to Poland, which has made great efforts across society to take in Ukrainian refugees and provide military support to Ukraine. If Putin is not defeated militarily, Russian weapons will soon be on the EU’s borders, threatening its heartland, Brudziński pointed out:
“We face a choice: do we just want an end to this war or do we want Ukraine to win? A Ukrainian defeat will lead to a battle-hardened and war-hungry Russian army reaching our borders. If this happens, Russia will immediately escalate the threat by deploying nuclear weapons and troops right on our borders. As a result, Russia will mobilise its forces, consolidate control, and prepare for another invasion.”
“We have the means to stop this aggressor,” he said. The EU should invest more in the defence industrial base of Member States in order to provide Ukraine with regular resources in the form of financial, military, and humanitarian aid until Russia is defeated and Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored.
“Russia must be held accountable for its crimes. There can be no peace without justice. We must ensure that Putin and his inner circle of war criminals are brought to justice. Equally urgently, we must use every means at our disposal to seize Russian assets across Europe so that Ukraine’s devastated infrastructure and economy can be rebuilt at Russia’s expense”, he added.
He also analysed Russia’s war strategy from an Eastern European perspective:
“Russia starts a war in the former Soviet Union every six years and continues to use its military, intelligence services and mercenary groups to crush democratic movements and weaken developing countries around the world”, Brudziński said.
The ECR will strongly support the Parliament’s resolution to be voted on today proposing Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO and calling on the European Commission to propose long-term financial support for the reconstruction of Ukraine.