Parliament calls on NATO to invite Ukraine to join the alliance

MEPs call on NATO allies to honour their commitment to Ukraine and pave the way for Kyiv to be invited to join the defence alliance.

In the resolution, adopted on Thursday with 425 votes in favour, 38 against with 42 abstentions, MEPs stress that they expect that the “accession process will start after the war is over and be finalised as soon as possible”.

Until full membership is achieved, the EU and its member states, together with NATO allies and like-minded partners, must work closely with Ukraine to develop a temporary framework for security guarantees, MEPs say, which is to be implemented immediately after the war. Parliament emphasises that Ukraine’s integration in both NATO and the EU would enhance regional and global security and strengthen the bonds between Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic community.

Parliament calls for a comprehensive and adequate EU recovery package for Ukraine, which should focus on the country’s immediate, medium- and long-term relief, reconstruction and recovery. They look forward to the European Commission’s upcoming proposed review of the current Multiannual Financial Framework and the proposed Rebuild Ukraine Facility, which will cover financing for Ukrainian reconstruction needs in the coming years.

One of the key point:

"10. Welcomes the decision of the Council of Europe summit of 17 May 2023 in Reykjavík to set up a register for damage caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which serves as one of the first steps towards an international compensation mechanism for victims of Russia’s war of aggression; calls on the remaining Council of Europe members to join the agreement as soon as possible; reiterates, in this context, its call on the EU institutions and Member States to ambitiously advance their work towards establishing a legal basis for the confiscation of Russian public assets for the purpose of financing Ukraine’s reconstruction and compensating the victims of Russia’s aggression; underlines its conviction that once the war ends, Russia must be obliged to pay the reparations imposed on it to ensure that it makes a substantial contribution to the reconstruction of Ukraine".

Source: European Parliament, Resolution