Humanitarian, military aid to Ukraine must be increased - committees of European parliaments

TALLINN - The chairs of the foreign affairs committees of European parliaments issued a joint statement calling for support to Ukraine and assistance to war refugees as well as stressing the need to bring those responsible for the aggression to justice in international courts.

The European Union (EU) was also called upon to provide money to support countries receiving refugees from Ukraine, spokespeople for the Estonian parliament said.

"We, the chairs of the foreign affairs committees of our parliaments, condemn Russia's aggression against a free and independent Ukraine. There is no justification for the crimes committed by Russia. The killing of vulnerable civilians and the destruction of homes, schools and medical facilities preclude Russia from belonging to the community of civilized nations. Russia's military aggression against Ukraine is a war crime," it is said in the statement.

"We call on the authorities of the European Union and NATO member states and all friendly countries that respect democracy, freedom and human rights to impose the toughest sanctions that would prevent the Russian Federation from continuing the war against Ukraine. We recall the deplorable and illegal aid that Belarus has provided to Russia. The actions of the Lukashenko regime should also be met with sanctions by the international community to suspend further support for hostilities," the chairs said.

"The barbarity of the Russian army is causing enormous suffering to the civilian population and destroying Ukrainian towns and villages. There have been reports of bombings of hospitals, schools, shrines, institutions, cultural facilities, homes and shelters. Systematic bombing is terrorizing the civilian population. Ten million Ukrainian citizens were forced to leave their homes and flee, more than three and a half million of them seeking refuge outside Ukraine. This is the biggest migration crisis in Europe since World War II. We call for increased humanitarian and military support for Ukraine. Each country, the European Union and NATO have a moral obligation to support the fighting Ukraine. We therefore recommend that proceedings be initiated as soon as possible to enable Ukraine to become a candidate country for the European Union and then a full member if it meets the requirements for accession to the European Union. And we are proposing to accept Ukraine into the Three Seas Initiative already today," it is said in the statement.

"We support giving a similar European perspective to the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, which have also experienced Russian aggression in the past. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe have the most significant burden in organizing humanitarian aid. We therefore call on the European Union to provide funding to support the countries accepting refugees from Ukraine. Helping the victims of war is our duty, but it is also a big problem. We therefore call on the international community to show solidarity and provide comprehensive assistance to refugees. We are firmly expressing our conviction that Russia bears full responsibility for this war and for the destruction and suffering of millions of Ukrainian citizens. All those responsible for the aggression must be brought to justice in international courts," the chairs said.