By Martin Banks

MEPs will this week commemorate the start of the war in Ukraine with a  special session in Brussels.

It comes four years after Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine.

The EU parliament’s biggest group, the EPP Group, said this week is a chance to “underline its continued support for Ukraine’s freedom, sovereignty and European future.”

This is the message that is expected to shape Tuesday’s extraordinary plenary session, which an EPP source said “will pay tribute to the thousands who have sacrificed their lives for a free and democratic Ukraine.”

Parliament is also expected to use the debate to also urge EU Member States to assume greater responsibility for security, provide credible guarantees, and treat Ukraine’s European integration as a strategic priority.

Comment came from Andrzej Halicki, EPP Group Vice-Chair in charge of foreign affairs.

The MEP said, “There is no doubt that Russia must pay for the massive destruction it has caused in Ukraine. Russia’s attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine are deliberate attacks on ordinary citizens. We can already see the same pattern, on a smaller scale, within the EU. It is up to us to decide how we tackle this. But to prevail, our answer must be strong, unwavering, and united. That is the language Putin and the Kremlin understand,” insists Halicki.

The one-day session will include a debate on the ongoing war and a vote on a motion for a resolution focusing on European contributions to achieving what an ECR source calls a “just peace and ensuring sustained security for Ukraine.”

The source said the joint text, agreed during the February plenary week, “underscores the barbaric nature of Russia’s aggression, pays tribute to Ukraine’s heroic defence, and recognises the solidarity demonstrated by the EU in supporting Ukraine.”

“For the ECR Group, sustained and credible support for Ukraine is not only a matter of solidarity, but a fundamental investment in Europe’s own security. The ECR Group reiterates that continued European unity, sustained support for Ukraine and firm pressure on Russia remain indispensable to achieving a just and lasting peace,” said the source.

Another of parliament’s mainstream groups is Renew Europe which, it too, has “strongly reaffirmed” solidarity with Ukraine while “condemning Russia’s illegal war of aggression and demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Russian forces.”

Its MEPs have now called for massively increased military support to Ukraine, tougher and broader sanctions against Russia – including a comprehensive import ban –  and the swift disbursement of the €90 billion EU loan.

A source said, “We insist that no peace deal should limit Ukraine’s defence capacity or lift sanctions prematurely, and that any agreement must include robust security guarantees equivalent to NATO’s Article 5.

“We also demand accountability for war crimes, the return of deported Ukrainian children, and urge the EU and member states to take greater responsibility for European security, asserting that no decision on Europe should be made without Europe,” adds the source.

On Monday, the EU Council imposed restrictive measures on eight individuals responsible for serious human rights violations, the repression of civil society and democratic opposition, and for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Russia.

THE individuals Are subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them. They are also subject to a travel ban, which prevents them from entering or transiting through EU territories.

A council spokesman told this site, “The EU remains unwavering in its condemnation of human rights violations and repressions in Russia, and is deeply concerned about the continuing deterioration of the human rights situation in the country, especially in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”