MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression against Ukraine
3.10.2022 - (2022/2851(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Pedro Marques, Tonino Picula
on behalf of the S&D Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0430/2022
B9‑0433/2022
European Parliament resolution on Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression against Ukraine
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,
– having regard to the declarations by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union, in particular those of 22 September 2022 on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and 28 September 2022 on the illegal sham ‘referenda’ by Russia in the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions,
– having regard to the statement by the members of the European Council of 30 September 2022,
– having regard to the G7 leaders’ statement of 23 September 2022,
– having regard to the Charter of the United Nations,
– having regard to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court of 17 July 1998,
– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas, in line with the UN Charter and the principles of international law, all states enjoy equal sovereignty and must refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state; whereas any annexation of a state’s territory by another state resulting from the threat or use of force constitutes a violation of the UN Charter and the principles of international law;
B. whereas the Russian Federation, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, bears special responsibility for maintaining peace and security in the world, but has persistently been violating the principles of the UN Charter through its aggressive actions against the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and has been openly defying the international community by announcing its illegal acts in breach of the UN Charter while the UN General Assembly has been in session;
C. whereas as far back as seven months ago, in its resolution of 2 March 2022, the UN General Assembly qualified the Russian attack on Ukraine as an act of aggression in violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and, in its resolution of 24 March 2022, requested that the Russian Federation immediately cease hostilities against Ukraine;
D. whereas the Russian Federation has instead significantly escalated its war of aggression against Ukraine, in particular since 21 September 2022, by mobilising its population for war, by holding illegal so-called ‘referenda’ in the four partly occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia, and by threatening the international community with the use of nuclear force;
E. whereas the illegal so-called ‘referenda’ cannot be considered in any way a genuine expression of popular will as they were held during Russia’s continued war of aggression against Ukraine, under Russian military occupation, outside of Ukraine’s legal and constitutional framework, and in a context of severe intimidation of the local population by Russian military and their proxies;
1. Reiterates its condemnation in the strongest possible terms of Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine and demands that the Russian Federation immediately, completely and unconditionally terminate all military activities in Ukraine, withdraw all military forces and proxies as well as military equipment from the entire internationally recognised territory of Ukraine and fully respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence;
2. Firmly denounces and rejects the illegal so-called ‘referenda’ held on occupied Ukrainian territory between 23 and 27 September 2022, the Russian presidential decrees of 29 September 2022 on the recognition of the ‘independence’ of the Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, as well as the illegal treaties on integration into the Russian Federation signed on 30 September 2022; demands that the Russian Federation immediately annul all legal acts related to the illegal annexation of further Ukrainian territory in the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia;
3. Emphasises that the occupation and annexation of Ukrainian territory are a clear and undisputed breach of the UN Charter which, in the interests of global security and the rules-based international order, cannot and will not go unanswered by the international community;
4. Strongly refutes any claim to legitimacy regarding the outcome of the illegal so-called ‘referenda’ imposed on the local population under an occupying regime and enforced through the presence of military personnel and weapons, or by those pretending to represent the four occupied Ukrainian regions, conferring the fabricated outcome of the staged ‘referenda’ to Russian authorities and signing sham treaties on integration into the Russian Federation, in total disregard for Ukrainian and international law;
5. States its unwavering support for the EU’s policy of non-recognition over Russia’s illegal actions against Ukraine, including annexation; calls on the Council, therefore, to adopt further severe sanctions in response to Russia’s persistent and blatant violations of international law and of Ukraine’s territorial integrity in holding illegal so-called ‘referenda’ in preparation for the annexation of further Ukrainian territory;
6. Expresses its despair at Russia’s mobilisation of its population for war, which brings additional human suffering, first and foremost for the population of Ukraine, but also for the Russian people; strongly appeals to all Russian people to refuse to be dragged into this war, which violates international law and was therefore condemned by a large majority of countries, was only waged to assert a non-democratic kleptocratic regime in Russia, and will ultimately destroy the Russian economy and the Russian people’s prospects for a safe and prosperous future;
7. Denounces the Russian leadership’s reckless recourse to issuing threats over the use of nuclear weapons of mass destruction, which constitutes a threat not only to Ukraine and its European neighbours but also the entire international community and humanity as a whole;
8. Supports the call by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on all members of the United Nations to join the EU and other international partners in rejecting the fabricated outcome of the illegal ‘referenda’ staged by Russia in an attempt to obscure its blatant breaches of international law and provide a bogus legal basis for its illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory; emphasises that Russia’s persistent violations of international law increasingly isolate the country within the international community;
9. Calls on the Council to substantially increase the number of persons and entities targeted by individual sanctions by including all those responsible for ordering, preparing and organising the illegal ‘referenda’ as well as any further annexation, and to extend the list of sectors of the Russian economy targeted by sanctions in order to effectively undermine Russia’s ability to continue carrying out its illegal plans; calls on the Member States to actively prevent, investigate and prosecute any circumvention of the sanctions; calls on the Commission and the co-legislators to work swiftly to complete the legal regime for the confiscation of assets frozen by the sanctions;
10. Urges the Council to swiftly proceed with the adoption of its next package of economic sanctions against Russia, to remain united and to stand ready to impose similar sanctions against those who provide political or economic support for Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory;
11. Calls on the Member States to fully implement the Commission’s guidelines on general visa issuance in relation to Russian applicants and controls of Russian citizens at the external borders, in full compliance with EU and international law, and to ensure that every asylum application is dealt with on an individual basis and in accordance with the EU asylum acquis; calls on the Council and the Commission to closely monitor the situation in relation to Russian visas;
12. Fully recognises and underlines Ukraine’s legitimate right to self-defence in accordance with the UN Charter, which it is entitled to invoke for the purpose of defending itself against Russia’s war of aggression and regaining full control over its entire internationally recognised territory; urges the Member States, therefore, to continue to provide as much military support to Ukraine as possible and urges the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to continue to support these efforts through a coordinated approach and effective use of the European Peace Facility; underlines that military support for Ukraine is a direct result of Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, is aimed at stopping the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence in breach of international law and, contrary to Russian propaganda efforts, may therefore not be interpreted as aggression against the Russian Federation; notes that Russia’s persistent violations of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and its repeated illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory have prompted Ukraine to restate its desire to join NATO;
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 United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the President, Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation.