Members of the European Parliament (EP) voted on February 16 against amendments to the resolution on Ukraine calling for peace and negotiations and warning against the danger of nuclear conflict.
As a result, a belligerent resolution was adopted calling on the EU countries to increase and accelerate the supply of “all types of weapons” to Ukraine, including fighter jets, helicopters and missile systems.
The resolution was supported by 444 deputies, 26 parliamentarians opposed. Amendments on negotiations and peace were made by the EP Left Group.
Decisions of the European Parliament on foreign policy issues are not legally binding, but other European institutions should listen to the opinion of MEPs.
Earlier, on February 15, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that the European Union (EU) intends during the UN General Assembly to invite Secretary General of the organization António Guterres to become a mediator for organizing negotiations on Ukraine.
On February 9, a group of MEPs from various countries stated in an address to the European Commission that peaceful relations with Russia are in the strategic interests of the European Union. They asked about Europe’s readiness to start peace talks with Moscow and immediately end all military and financial support for Ukraine.
At the same time, on February 2, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated that world leaders were not trying to convince Ukraine to return to peace talks. According to him, Western leaders refused to negotiate, and also forced the Kiev regime to withdraw from the negotiation process at the very moment when there was still an opportunity to end it politically.
On January 31, Hungarian President Katalin Nowak said that Russia plays an important role in many global processes, and Budapest, in turn, continues to advocate an end to the conflict and the establishment of peace in Ukraine.
Moscow has repeatedly urged Kyiv to sit down at the negotiating table. On December 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that in order to achieve a result, it is necessary to continue the negotiation process, but already taking into account the changed realities. At the same time, the head of state explained that the position of the Russian Federation is not subject to doubts and changes.
The last face-to-face round of talks between Russia and Ukraine took place on March 29 in Turkey. Later, Kyiv officially renounced contacts with Moscow. On October 4, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky enforced the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of the country on the impossibility of negotiations.
Since February 24, Russia has been conducting a special operation to protect the Donbass, against which Ukraine has been fighting since 2014. The decision to hold it was made against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by Ukrainian troops.
