European Parliament calls for allowing Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike at Russian territory

In a new resolution, MEPs call on EU countries to lift restrictions that prohibit Ukraine from using Western weapons to strike military targets in Russia.

The European Parliament’s resolution, adopted on September 19, with 425 votes in favour (131 against and 63 abstentions), states that without lifting the current restrictions, Ukraine cannot fully exercise its right to self-defence and remains vulnerable to attacks on its population and infrastructure.

The MEPs emphasised that insufficient supplies of ammunition and restrictions on its use “could offset the impact of the efforts made so far” and regretted the reduction in bilateral military assistance to Ukraine from the EU.

“MEPs reiterate their call on Member States to fulfil their commitment to supply Ukraine with one million rounds of ammunition by March 2023 and to accelerate the delivery of weapons, air defence systems, and ammunition, including Taurus missiles,” the European Parliament said.

The resolution also calls on EU member states to continue and expand the EU Council’s sanctions policy against Russia and Belarus, as well as non-EU countries and organisations that provide Russia with military and dual-use technologies.

In addition, MEPs condemned Iran’s recent transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia and called for stronger sanctions against Tehran and North Korea for their involvement in supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine.

They also want to see more Chinese individuals and entities on the EU sanctions list, as well as tougher measures to systematically address the problem of sanctions circumvention by EU, third-party, and non-EU companies.

Calling on the EU and its member states to work actively to achieve the widest possible international support for Ukraine and find a peaceful solution to the war, MEPs note that any solution must be based on full respect for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. They also believe that accountability for Russian war crimes and reparations, as well as other payments made by Moscow, are important aspects of any solution.

“To this end, MEPs want the EU and like-minded partners to establish a robust legal regime for the confiscation of Russian state assets frozen by the EU as part of efforts to compensate Ukraine for the enormous losses it has suffered,” the European Parliament said in a statement.

Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized that each ally should make the decision separately, commenting on the discussions among member states regarding Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russian territory. At the same time, he was sceptical of Putin’s warning that allowing such strikes would be a red line that would put Russia “at war” with NATO.

Ukraine intends to use long-range missiles to hit Russian air bases and military installations that are used by Putin’s troops and military aircraft to attack and bombard Ukrainian cities.

Andriy Sybiha, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, wrote that the allies should increase their support for Kyiv despite Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s threats, as he does nothing despite his words.