Members of the European Parliament condemned the destruction of the dam in Nova Kakhovka, calling it a war crime committed by Russia. The European Parliament called on the European Union to continue supporting Ukraine, impose new sanctions against Russia and use billions of dollars of frozen assets of Russian oligarchs to rebuild Ukraine.
Representatives of the pro-European political group Renew Europe, speaking at the plenary debate, said that the dam in Nova Kakhovka had caused a number of environmental, economic, humanitarian and sanitary consequences. They expressed confidence that these crimes would be irrefutable evidence for the International Tribunal and that Russian leaders and perpetrators would be held accountable.
“As we prepare to rebuild Ukraine, Russia continues its work of destruction. Let’s not take our eyes off the Russian aggression in Ukraine and its consequences. Russia must be defeated, and Russia must pay for rebuilding what it has destroyed. There is no other way,” said Nathalie Loiseau, MEP from the Renew Europe group and Chair of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence.
According to Western media reports, after the destruction of the dam in Nova Kakhovka, the European Commission estimates that Ukraine needs an additional $14 billion in emergency aid. The European Commission’s Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said that “Ukraine will need additional support this year” to rebuild. “Immediate rapid recovery requires $14 billion for priority areas such as civil and social infrastructure, energy infrastructure, housing, private sector development and humanitarian demining,” he said.
He stressed that the country needs a “broader donor base” to finance its reconstruction in the coming years, adding that Ukraine’s recovery should also be financed by Russian assets. “The EU wants Russia to be held fully accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine,” Dombrovskis said.
Last month, the European Commission announced that EU countries had frozen the assets of the Russian Central Bank worth about $216 billion. Experts are currently working on legal solutions to use the interest from the frozen assets to help rebuild Ukraine.
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