NATO‘s Parliamentary Assembly has expressed its “unwavering” support for Ukraine and called on Allied leaders to speed up the delivery of fighter jets and other military equipment that Ukraine needs to fight Russian aggression.
“Russia’s war aims to destroy democracy in Ukraine and thereby undermine the values that are fundamental to NATO and the entire democratic, civilised and peaceful world,” reads the declaration adopted by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly during its spring session.
The parliamentarians said that the NATO summit, scheduled for 11-12 July in Vilnius, should “increase and accelerate … political, military, intelligence, financial, training and humanitarian support, and maintain this support until Ukraine is victorious and has fully restored its territorial integrity”. They also called for a reaffirmation that “the country’s rightful place is in NATO and that Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance”.
To this end, Allied governments and parliaments should discuss and agree on the steps to be taken on Ukraine’s path to NATO membership and underline “the need for firm future security guarantees for Ukraine before it becomes a member of NATO”.
“We will continue to stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes,” said NATO PA Chairman Joel Harrio-Maylam. – “Today, in its courageous resistance to Russian aggression, Ukraine is defending our common security, our values and the rules-based international order. The future of this international order is at stake.”
The declaration, presented by Polish MP and NATO PA Vice-President Michał Szczerba, was unanimously adopted at the plenary meeting of the NATO PA Spring Session in Luxembourg, which focused on Russia’s criminal war against Ukraine and the need for NATO to adapt its defence and deterrence posture in the face of threats from Russia. The document also calls on Allied governments and parliaments to clearly recognise the Russian mercenary group Wagner as a “criminal and terrorist organisation”.
Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov addressed the meeting via video link. He called air defence systems and armoured vehicles Ukraine’s top priority needs. “Supporting Ukraine in this war is 100% in the interests of your countries and the citizens you represent… We are fighting for civilised and European values,” the Ukrainian defence minister said.
The Assembly also recognised that “the Russian state under the current regime is a terrorist state” and called on NATO leaders to “extend massive, crippling and lasting sanctions until Russia withdraws all its troops from the entire territory of Ukraine”. In addition, the parliamentarians called for “a comprehensive Marshall Plan-style assistance programme to rebuild Ukraine, firmly anchored in the liberal democratic family of nations.”
Also during the meeting, the PA called for the Russian regime and “its accomplices from the Belarusian regime” to be held accountable for the crime of aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide committed in Ukraine. The Declaration also condemns Iran for its support of Russia’s war against Ukraine and declares that “any lethal assistance to Russia by China would be a historic mistake”.
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