MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the invasion of Ukraine by Russia

The European Parliament,

–       having regard to its previous resolutions on the European Neighbourhood Policy, on the Eastern Partnership (EaP) and on Ukraine, and with particular reference to that of 27 February 2014 on the situation in Ukraine[1],

–       having regard to its resolution of 12 December 2013 on the outcome of the Vilnius Summit and the future of the Eastern Partnership, in particular as regards Ukraine[2],

–       having regard to its resolution of 6 February 2014 on the EU-Russia Summit[3],

–       having regard to the conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Council extraordinary meeting of 3 March 2014 on Ukraine,

–       having regard to the North Atlantic Council’s statement of 4 March 2014,

–       having regard to the statement of the Heads of State or Government on Ukraine following the European Council’s extraordinary meeting on Ukraine of 6 March 2014,

–       having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.     whereas Russian Federation armed forces have been violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine;

B.     whereas the illegitimate authorities of Crimea decided on 6 March 2014 in favour of incorporation into the Russian Federation and called a referendum for 16 March 2014 on the independence of Crimea, thus violating the constitution of Ukraine, which allows it to hold referendums only on local matters;

C.     whereas Russia, together with the United Kingdom and the United States, is a party to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances for Ukraine, thus guaranteeing to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine;

D.     whereas on 1 March 2014 the Federal Council of the Russian Federation authorised the deployment of Russian Federation armed forces in Ukraine;

E.     whereas the UN Security Council has held two meetings in three days on Ukraine; whereas UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson was dispatched to Kyiv on 2 March 2014 to brief the Secretary-General on any further steps which the UN could take to de‑escalate the situation;

1.      Condemns in the strongest possible terms the invasion and unprovoked violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity by the Russian Federation; demands the immediate withdrawal of the Russian armed forces to the areas of their permanent stationing; recalls that these actions are in clear breach of the UN Charter, the OSCE Helsinki Final Act, the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, the 1997 Bilateral Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership, the 1997 Agreement on the Status and Conditions of the Presence of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the Territory of Ukraine, and Russia’s international obligations; considers the acts undertaken by Russia as posing a threat to the security of the EU;

2.      Expresses its full support for the territorial integrity, unity and sovereignty of Ukraine; welcomes the responsible role played by the Verkhovna Rada in assuming its full constitutional functions and filling the political and institutional vacuum created by the resignation of the government and the dismissal of the President, who left his office and later the country; praises the Kyiv government’s responsible, measured and restrained handling of this severe crisis, in which the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country is at stake; calls on the international community to speak with one strong voice and stand firmly by and support Ukraine;

3.      Considers the decision of the illegitimate authorities of Crimea to hold a referendum on the future status of the territory to be a violation of the Ukrainian constitution and therefore illegal; strongly condemns the decision of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in favour of incorporation into the Russian Federation;

4.      Calls for a peaceful solution to the current crisis and full respect for the principles of, and obligations laid down under, international law; takes the view that the situation must be contained and further de-escalated in order to avoid an armed conflict; underlines that international observation and mediation are of the utmost importance; calls on the EU institutions and Member States to be ready to exhaust every possible diplomatic and political avenue and work tirelessly with all relevant international organisations, such as the UN, the OSCE and the Council of Europe, to secure a peaceful solution, which must be based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine; points out that violence such as that which the UN Special Representative Robert Serry and the OSCE Monitors had to face in Crimea from pro-Russian groups is not conducive to the achievement of a peaceful solution to the conflict; urges the Russian authorities to enter into dialogue with the new Government of Ukraine, so as to address Russian concerns as well as political and economic relations;

5.      Welcomes the commitment of the Ukrainian Government to an ambitious reform agenda comprising political, economic and social change; welcomes, therefore, the Commission’s decision to provide Ukraine with a short- and medium-term support package worth EUR 11 billion in order to help stabilise the country’s economic and financial situation, calls for a European-led international effort to stabilise the situation in Ukraine over the long term, tackle its worsening economic and social situation, provide macroeconomic stability and launch the necessary deep and comprehensive reforms of the economy; strongly supports an international donor coordination mechanism, to be initiated and coordinated by the Commission and bringing together the EU Member States, the IMF, the World Bank, the EBRD and the EIB, as well as other countries, with a view to putting together an international financial package; calls on the Commission and the Member States, along with the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission, to provide, in addition to financial assistance, technical assistance as regards constitutional reform, the strengthening of the rule of law and the fight against corruption in Ukraine;

6.      Encourages the Ukrainian authorities to ensure free and fair elections in full compliance with international standards, to advance constitutional and judicial reform, to take determined action to eradicate corruption, and to investigate all acts of violence committed during the three-month-long protests at the EuroMaidan; reiterates the importance of conducting an inclusive policy of reaching out to all Ukrainian regions and minorities, ensuring the full protection of the rights of people belonging to national minorities in accordance with international standards; calls on the Ukrainian authorities to adopt new legislation in line with Ukraine’s obligations under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, which will ensure respect for the rights of citizens in the country and for the use of Russian and other minority languages;

7.      Welcomes the decision of the European Council to sign the political chapters of the Association Agreement before the presidential elections in Ukraine; welcomes the European Council’s commitment to ensuring that the EU unilaterally adopts measures that will allow Ukraine to benefit substantially from the advantages offered in the Deep and Comprehensive Trade Area, such as the application of provisions related to the import of goods by reducing tariffs and opening tariff rate quotas; reiterates that the outstanding parts of the AA/DCFTA should be signed as soon as possible; insists on the need for clear signals demonstrating to Russia that nothing in this agreement endangers or harms future cooperative bilateral political and economic relations between Ukraine and Russia; welcomes the recent recognition by the Council that the Association Agreement, including a DCFTA, does not constitute a final goal in EU-Ukraine cooperation; stresses, furthermore, that Article 49 TEU refers to all European states, including Ukraine, which has a European perspective, and may apply to become a Member of the Union, provided that it adheres to the principles of democracy, respects fundamental freedoms and human and minority rights, and ensures the rule of law;

8.      Welcomes the European Council’s decision of 6 March 2014 on a first wave of targeted measures, such as the suspension of bilateral talks on visa matters and the New Agreement, as well as the decision by the Member States and EU institutions to suspend their preparations for the G8 Summit in Sochi; points out that, should that the conflict fail to de-escalate sufficiently, the EU should prepare for new measures and sanctions, such as initiating the procedures to remove Russia from the G8, the Council of Europe and the OSCE, the suspension of Russia’s application to join the OECD, the introduction of travel bans, an asset freeze and the enactment of money laundering legislation against leading Russian political figures involved in the decision-making process and execution of decisions to violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, measures against Russian companies and their subsidiaries to fully comply with internal market law and EU competition law, particularly in the energy sector, and a ban on arms trade and dual-use technology;

9.      Welcomes the Council’s decision to adopt sanctions focused on the freezing and recovery of misappropriated Ukrainian funds, targeting 18 individuals;

10.    Stresses the importance of secure, diversified and affordable energy supply for Ukraine: underlines, in this connection, the strategic role of the Energy Community, of which Ukraine holds the presidency in 2014, and of building up Ukraine’s resistance against energy threats coming from Russia; recalls the need to increase EU storage capacities and provide reverse flow of gas from EU Member States for Ukraine; welcomes the Commission’s proposal to modernise Ukraine’s Gas Transit System and to assist in its payment of debts to Gazprom;

11.    Calls on the Council to immediately authorise the Commission to speed up the visa dialogue with Ukraine, so as to advance along the path of introducing a visa-free regime, following the example of Moldova; calls, in the meantime, for the immediate introduction of temporary, very simple, low-cost visa procedures at EU and Member State level;

12.    Stresses the importance for the EU to actively engage in an effort to win the ‘hearts and minds’ of the people of Ukraine, and Crimea in particular at this juncture, in order to counter Russia’s false propaganda rhetoric; strongly rejects Russian claims of discrimination against Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine and the slanderous reference to peaceful protesters as fascists;

13.    Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the acting President, Government and Parliament of Ukraine, the Council of Europe, and the President, Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation.