Members of the European Parliament have called on all countries and international organisations to unequivocally condemn the sham referenda in Ukraine and Russia's attempt to acquire territory by force, and to increase military assistance to Ukraine.

In a resolution adopted on Thursday, MEPs say the results of the sham referenda conducted at gunpoint to annex the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts are “null and void” and call on member states to adopt additional severe sanctions, the European Parliament said in a press release.

Increase military assistance to Ukraine

Hailing the courage of the Ukrainian people defending their country and European values, MEPs urge EU member states and other countries supporting Ukraine to increase massively their military assistance, particularly in areas requested by the Ukrainian government. “Hesitating” member states should provide their fair share of necessary military assistance, which will help shorten the war.

The recent Russian threats to use nuclear weapons are irresponsible and dangerous, warn MEPs. They call on member states and international partners to prepare a quick and decisive response should Russia conduct a nuclear strike on Ukraine. Any attempt by Russia to present attacks on occupied territories as an attack on Russia itself, and thus as grounds for a nuclear attack, is illegal and baseless and will not deter the European Union from further assistance to Ukraine’s self-defence.

MEPs condemn the military mobilisation in Russia and measures compelling residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to serve in Russia’s armed or auxiliary forces, an act which the Fourth Geneva Convention forbids. In order to maintain stability in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, MEPs also call for increased support for countries in the region who experienced an influx of Russian citizens, in particular Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.

Need to increase the protection of European critical infrastructure

Regarding the explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines, MEPs say there is “increasing speculation that it was a result of a coordinated and deliberate act by a state actor.”

The explosions show how dangerous the policy of increasing dependence on Russian fossil fuels was and that the weaponisation of energy has been taken to a new level.

The resolution calls on member states to treat the protection of European critical infrastructure as a priority, to increase its resilience against external attacks, and to further support the resilience of the Eastern European and Western Balkans partners.

Finally, MEPs call for the establishment of an ad hoc international tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, “where Putin and all those Russian civilian and military officials and their proxies responsible for masterminding, launching and conducting the war in Ukraine would be prosecuted.”

The resolution, adopted by 504 votes in favour, 26 against and 36 abstentions, was welcomed by Croatian MEP Tonino Picula, a co-author of the joint resolution on behalf of the Socialists and Democrats group.

“One of the most important tasks for us now is to maintain unity among our governments and citizens. We have to be clear and admit that all problems faced by our citizens — high energy prices, problems with food supply, security threats — are caused by actions of the Russian regime. Russia, and Russia alone, is responsible for this war of aggression. Not Ukraine, not NATO, not the EU,” Picula said.

“Change in Russian politics should come from within. That’s why we should increase our support to those in Russia who are raising their voice against the Putin regime and who can be the drivers of this change,” he added.

Picula said that the EU should continue countering Russian propaganda by providing strong support to civil society and people who check facts, not just in the EU but in its immediate neighbourhood as well.