MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation at the Ukrainian border and in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine
13.12.2021 - (2021/3010(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Petras Auštrevičius, Dita Charanzová, Klemen Grošelj, Bernard Guetta, Nathalie Loiseau, Karen Melchior, Frédérique Ries, Michal Šimečka, Nicolae Ştefănuță, Ramona Strugariu
on behalf of the Renew Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0594/2021
B9‑0596/2021
European Parliament resolution on the situation at the Ukrainian border and in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its resolutions and recommendations on Ukraine and the Russian Federation, not least its recommendation of 16 September 2021 to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the direction of EU-Russia political relations[1],
– having regard to the Association Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part, and in particular Title II thereof on political dialogue and convergence in the field of foreign affairs and security[2],
– having regard to the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances of 5 December 1994 relating to the accession of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,
– having regard to the Russian Federation’s membership of the UN, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and its ensuing commitments and obligations,
– having regard to the EU’s policy in response to the crisis in Ukraine, including its restrictive measures, which have been in force since 2014,
– having regard to the package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, which was adopted and signed in Minsk on 12 February 2015 and endorsed as a whole by UN Security Council Resolution 2202 (2015) of 17 February 2015 thereon,
– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas according to intelligence reports, in recent months the Russian Federation has substantially increased its military presence on its southern and western borders with Ukraine, in occupied Crimea and in the Black Sea region; whereas these deployments currently amount to over 100 000 soldiers, as well as heavy military equipment; whereas this military build-up was confirmed by recent commercial satellite imagery;
B. whereas Russia had already increased its military presence around Ukraine in the first part of 2021; whereas the military exercises in spring 2021 amounted to the largest concentration of Russian troops near Ukraine’s border since 2014;
C. whereas according to US intelligence reports, Russia could be deploying up to 175 000 troops by early 2022 in a mobilisation that could be in preparation for a multi-front offensive against Ukraine; whereas Russia has deliberately created uncertainty over its military build-up with aggressive political statements and rhetoric;
D. whereas the recent movements of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border have been matched by enhanced interference and disinformation campaigns by Russian proxies and media outlets in the EU, Ukraine and Russia itself; whereas such hybrid tactics have included an increase in denigrating content towards NATO and Ukraine, attempts to assign the blame for potential future Russian military escalation Ukraine and NATO, and the spread of false narratives implying that Ukraine’s current leaders have been installed by the West and are acting against the interests of the Ukrainian people;
E. whereas the Russian military build-up is matched by regular violations of the numerous ceasefire agreements by the Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine where, despite Russian denials of any formal involvement in the conflict, Russian officers hold the majority of commanding positions in the separatist forces;
F. whereas the presence of employees from the Russian private military company the Wagner Group alongside pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine has been reported since 2014, beginning with around 250 fighters initially and now amounting to 2 500 individuals;
G. whereas the latest report of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine published on 1 December 2021 noted an escalation of hostilities in the Donbas conflict zone, an increase in civilian casualties on the Ukrainian side and damage to infrastructure; whereas the report also noted that the courts of the self-proclaimed Donbas republics continued to sentence civilians for conflict-related crimes without a fair trial;
H. whereas Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and continues to occupy it; whereas Russia continues to alter the demographic structure of the occupied peninsula through the settlement of Russian citizens; whereas the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine found that Russian Federation occupation authorities in Crimea continued to restrict fundamental freedoms and civic space and that those participating in spontaneous peaceful assemblies or seeking to attend court hearings were arbitrarily arrested and fined;
I. whereas in 2016 the Russian Federation outlawed the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People – the highest body of the Crimean Tatars – and has refused to implement the 2017 International Court of Justice order calling on Russia to lift the ban; whereas Tatar leaders and activists continue to be illegally detained; whereas Russia has led sustained efforts since 2014 to militarise the Crimean peninsula and sent additional tanks and artillery to Crimea in the course of November 2021;
J. whereas in April 2021 the Russian Ministry of Defence unilaterally closed the waters around the Kerch Strait to non-commercial vessels from other countries, thereby obstructing the free passage of ships to and from the Sea of Azov; whereas although Russia had announced it would lift the restrictions in October 2021, they are still in place; whereas these impediments have negative consequences for Ukraine’s ports in the Sea of Azov and for international maritime transit in the Black Sea;
1. Condemns the threatening and destabilising actions of the Russian Federation and calls on its leaders to de-escalate tensions with Ukraine, to immediately return troops from the border with Ukraine back to their permanent bases, and to tune down hostile and aggressive rhetoric towards Ukraine and the West; emphasises the need for a peaceful political solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine and over Crimea and calls on Russia to re-engage with the Normandy format;
2. Underlines that the Russian military build-up also presents a threat to the overall peace, stability and security of Europe and calls on Russia to abide by its international obligations, such as the principles and commitments of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on the transparency of military movements, including the Vienna Document; urges Russia, furthermore, to uphold its obligation under the UN Convention the Law of the Sea and guarantee the freedom of navigation and transit passage through the international Kerch Strait to the ports of the Sea of Azov;
3. Reaffirms its long-standing support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders; reiterates its full backing for the EU’s policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol;
4. Reiterates that unity among the EU Member States is the best policy to deter Russia from carrying out destabilising and subversive actions in Europe; urges the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to ensure that the Council remains united and seized of the military developments and remains prepared to agree on further joint action and to continue to coordinate with the United States, NATO and other allies;
5. Deplores Russia’s attempts to extract concessions from the West regarding Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations; insists on the full inclusion of Ukraine’s national security interests in the ongoing attempts to de-escalate military tensions;
6. Underscores that the EU must make it clear that there would be a high price for any further incursion into Ukraine by the Russian Federation and that such a move would lead to significantly expanded and severe EU sanctions; underlines that Ukraine should continue to benefit from the export of military equipment and the provision of training by friendly countries, in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter, which allows for individual and collective self-defence;
7. Urges the Member States to draw the necessary conclusions from Russia’s behaviour and prepare to introduce targeted sanctions in order to address the immediate and credible threats posed by Russia, rather than wait for another invasion to take place before taking action;
8. Urges the Member States to draw the necessary conclusions from Russia’s behaviour and also take urgent and credible steps to reduce their dependence on Russian energy imports; reiterates its call to terminate the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and other major energy projects with the Russian Federation; underlines that any further military action by Russia towards Ukraine will certainly have consequences beyond the end of these projects;
9. Deplores the continued human rights violations perpetrated both in Crimea and the occupied territories in eastern Ukraine; calls for the immediate release of all illegally detained and imprisoned Ukrainian citizens and an end to the large-scale conferral of Russian nationality (passportisation) on citizens in these areas;
10. Strongly supports Ukraine’s efforts to bring Russian mercenaries who committed war crimes to justice and urges the EU and its Member States to increase their cooperation to that end;
11. Strongly condemns Russia’s hostile behaviour in Europe and calls on its government to put an end to these activities, which violate commonly agreed principles and norms and threaten stability on the continent, preventing the pursuit of a positive EU-Russia bilateral agenda;
12. 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 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the President, Government and Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and the President, Government and State Duma of the Russian Federation.
- [1] Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0383.
- [2] OJ L 161, 29.5.2014, p. 3.