We stand with Ukraine!

Together for UKRAINE!

In February 2023, for two days, we have welcomed the representatives of President Zelenskyy's party, Sluga Narodu (Слуга Народу) from Ukraine, who are part of our political family, during the Parliamentary session in Strasbourg this month.

The aim of the visit was to strengthen parliamentary cooperation and discuss the key issues that are important for Ukraine-EU relations today, as well as to meet with the President of the Group Stéphane Séjourné and Renew Europe MEPs.

The fruitful discussions and constructive dialogue between the colleagues from both sides only proved that we have a mutual understanding and our future belongs together.

It is almost one year since Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Ukrainian people continue to lose their lives protecting EU values and with the hope of becoming part of the EU in the very near future.

We are committed to continue our support for Ukraine and work together for Ukraine’s victory and future recovery. We understand today that we are building the European Union of tomorrow and Ukraine as part of it has a lot to offer, despite the difficult times we are all living through now.

Since 24 February 2022, the Ukrainian people have bravely stood up to Russia's unprovoked and unlawful war of aggression. The ongoing aggression is a new scale of the war Russia launched against Ukraine in February 2014 after the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity, during which the Ukrainian people demanded that their country follow a pro-European path. Every day, the people of Ukraine are suffering from Russian atrocities, devastation, destruction, loss of life, social and economic decline and other hardships. More than 10 million Ukrainians are living the life of internally displaced persons, and more than 6 million, mainly women with children and the elderly, have been forced to flee their homeland.

Over the past six months, we have seen the heroism and unity of Ukrainians against their oppressors. Rescuing and caring for the wounded, evacuating civilians from the hot spots, providing food and shelter to those in desperate need, recording war crimes and providing support to the victims - these are examples of the hardships and devastating challenges that Ukrainians face every day.

Ukrainians are not only defending their freedom and independence and that of their country, but also European values and our continent against a brutal regime that seeks to undermine our democracy, to weaken and divide our Union, and to regain influence over the Member States that have freed themselves from Soviet rule.

War crimes must not go unpunished

Renew Europe condemns Russian aggression in the strongest possible terms and considers Putin to be a war criminal, whose regime bears full responsibility for all its consequences. Russia’s actions are not only an aggression against Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also an attack against Europe’s security, the international rules-based order and liberal democracies. We have call upon swift and strong sanctions on Russia and Putin to make sure this horrendous war does not go unpunished.

At the same time, we have advocated on the EU and its Member States to work with international bodies to collect evidence and to support the International Criminal Court’s investigation of the war crimes committed in Ukraine.

We must rebuild Ukraine

We must help rebuild Ukraine! We stand to make sure Russia takes responsibility for its actions also fiscally and is made to contribute in rebuilding the country. The EU will support Ukraine even now to make sure Ukrainians can recover from the damage done to their country. The only way to avoid a higher bill in the future is to start financing the reconstruction of Ukraine now. The EU must stay committed to the Ukrainian cause, because investing in Ukraine means investing in democracy, values and freedom.