As North Korean troops fight alongside Russian forces, escalating their involvement in the war after recent shipments of ammunition to Moscow from the East Asian dictatorship, the European Conservatives and Reformists have reiterated their unwavering call for the European Union to stand firm with Ukraine.

Speaking on behalf of the ECR Group at a debate in Strasbourg, Latvian MEP Rihards Kols said that any hesitation in supporting Ukraine was reminiscent of the failed appeasement policy of Neville Chamberlain in the 1930s. “The ghost of Chamberlain haunts Europe today, convincing some that concessions to aggressors will bring peace,” Kols said.

Kols urged the house not to make mistakes of the past, but to form a coalition of the willing to stand in lockstep with Ukraine against the Russian aggressor:

“A coalition of the willing must rise above complacency, delivering every weapon Ukraine needs, every sanction against its enemies, and every frozen Russian asset has to be repurposed to rebuild what Russia has destroyed”, he stressed.

One way to show that the EU is serious, Kols argued, is to start the EU accession process: “This House must ensure that the accession process with Ukraine begins not as soon as possible, but immediately.”

“History will not forgive appeasement, nor will it forget those who stand firm. Let us prove that we are up to the challenge”, he concluded.