On four years of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and European contributions to a just peace and sustained security for Ukraine

E.whereas the continuation of the war poses serious risks of regional escalation, and has fuelled fears across Europe of a wider confrontation between nuclear-armed states, with potentially catastrophic consequences, and of potential Russian aggression against more of its neighbours;

F.whereas, according to multiple opinion polls conducted over recent years, a majority of Ukrainian citizens have consistently expressed support for efforts aimed at achieving a negotiated end to the war;

G.whereas trilateral negotiations involving the United States, the Russian Federation and Ukraine are taking place in the United Arab Emirates, highlighting the marginal role of the EU in diplomatic efforts to end the war unfolding on its own continent;

H.whereas the exclusion of the EU from meaningful peace negotiations reflects a profound failure of EU foreign and security policy, characterised by the absence of an autonomous diplomatic initiative and by an over-reliance on militarised approaches aligned with the United States and NATO;

I.whereas since the beginning of the war, the EU and its Member States have provided over USD 187 billion in financial, military, humanitarian and refugee assistance to Ukraine; whereas an additional EUR 90 billion in new EU funding commitments has recently been approved, bringing the total level of EU involvement to an unprecedented scale;

J.whereas, despite this massive financial and military support, the EU has failed to translate its contributions into political influence capable of advancing a ceasefire or a comprehensive peace process;

K.whereas the Ukrainian economy has been devastated by the war, with large parts of its industry, agricultural land and strategic resources coming under foreign ownership, including by Western multinational corporations; whereas the population continues to suffer from impoverishment, social fragmentation and forced displacement;

L.whereas the economic consequences of Russia’s war have also negatively affected EU Member States, contributing to energy insecurity and inflationary pressures, while largely benefiting US economic and military interests;

M.whereas Europe, and indeed the world, has a direct and vital interest in the establishment of a lasting peace and in the reconstruction of a cooperative European security order based on peaceful coexistence, arms control, mutual restraint and nuclear disarmament;

N.whereas Ukraine continues to face serious and recurrent corruption scandals, including within the Ministry of Defence, regional administrations, military recruitment offices, and public procurement processes linked to reconstruction; whereas these scandals undermine public trust and raise legitimate concerns regarding the transparency and accountability of international financial flows;

O.whereas a durable and sustainable peace cannot be achieved through militarisation, bloc confrontation or unilateral security arrangements, but requires a framework of inclusive and cooperative security, inspired by the Helsinki Final Act and the UN Charter;

1.Reiterates its condemnation, in the strongest possible terms, of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, of all violations of international humanitarian law and of all war crimes committed during the conflict; demands full accountability under international law; reaffirms its unequivocal commitment to peace, international law, and the primacy of diplomatic solutions to armed conflict, rejecting the normalisation of war as a policy tool to solve international crises;

2.Expresses its deep and unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine, who, for more than four years, have endured the devastating human consequences of the war, including loss of life, family separation, displacement, trauma, impoverishment and the destruction of homes, schools, hospitals and communities; honours the memory of all victims and acknowledges the resilience of those striving to preserve everyday life under extreme conditions; reaffirms the EU’s commitment to supporting humanitarian assistance, social protection, healthcare, education, housing, psychosocial support, the protection of refugees and internally displaced persons, and the right of all Ukrainians to live in peace, safety and dignity; stresses that the most meaningful expression of solidarity is a sustained and determined commitment to ending the war through a just, negotiated and lasting peace;

3.Strongly condemns the continued Russian bombardment of Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure, which deliberately deprives millions of civilians of electricity, heating and essential services in winter conditions, with temperatures falling below zero degrees Celsius; stresses that such attacks constitute a grave violation of international humanitarian law, as they intentionally target infrastructure indispensable to the survival of the civilian population; calls on the Russian Federation to immediately cease these unlawful strikes and to immediately cease all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy systems, housing, healthcare and transport facilities, in full compliance with international humanitarian law;

4.Condemns all forms of imperialism, revisionism and power-bloc confrontation that negate the sovereignty of states and the right of peoples to self-determination, including the pursuit of power politics by the Russian Federation, based on Putin’s nationalist and reactionary ideology, coercion, military force and the imposition of spheres of influence;

5.Reiterates that Ukraine, as a victim of aggression, has a legitimate right to self-defence in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter;

6.Takes note of the ongoing trilateral negotiations involving the United States, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, and underlines that the EU’s marginalisation from these talks is a direct consequence of its failure to pursue an autonomous diplomatic strategy;

7.Underlines that Ukraine’s future can only be decided by Ukrainians; stresses that any peace settlement must fully respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as enshrined in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, ensuring the security of Ukraine and fundamental rights for all citizens, including linguistic, ethnic and other minorities, as set out in the Minsk agreements; reiterates that any peace settlement must have the approval of the Ukrainian people and include mutually acceptable and credible security guarantees, and should be grounded in the principles of independence and neutrality, which help contribute to a stable and predictable security environment, with a view to reducing tensions and contributing to long-term regional and European stability;

8.Regrets the fact that the EU has prioritised a military solution and NATO alignment over an autonomous and sustained diplomatic strategy, despite the war taking place on its continent and directly affecting EU citizens; calls for the EU institutions to actively support and facilitate a peace process, drawing lessons from previous experiences to avoid repeating past mistakes; calls for the EU to actively work towards a durable and comprehensive peace agreement that addresses the root causes of the conflict, grounded in the principles of the Helsinki Final Act and the UN Charter, including collective security, military restraint, disarmament commitments, transparency and mechanisms to avoid further escalation;

9.Reiterates its call for a ceasefire and for structured, inclusive and transparent negotiations under the auspices of the UN and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe;

10.Believes that security for Ukraine cannot be achieved through unilateral military arrangements, but only through negotiated agreements accepted by all parties involved, and that any territorial agreement must involve meaningful consultation with the local population concerned;

11.Stresses that European contributions to Ukraine’s long-term security must focus on diplomacy, confidence-building measures, arms-control initiatives, demilitarisation of conflict zones and mechanisms to prevent further invasion;

12.Calls on the Member States to support the deployment of UN peacekeepers to protect the 15 nuclear reactors in Ukraine, in close cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s mission; stresses that the UN General Assembly possesses subsidiary decision-making powers under Resolution 377 in cases where the Security Council is not in a position to take adequate decisions on peacekeeping matters;

13.Calls for the EU to actively support the reconstruction of a pan-European security architecture, based on mutual restraint, transparency, arms-control agreements and renewed commitments to nuclear disarmament;

14.Stresses that any consideration of the deployment of peacekeeping forces can only take place following a ceasefire and a comprehensive political agreement between the parties, and exclusively on the basis of a clear mandate from the UN Security Council, in full respect of international law; expresses its strong opposition to any deployment of third-party troops that does not take such political agreements and mandates into consideration;

15.Regrets the failure of the Istanbul negotiations of spring 2022, which had opened a fragile window for a negotiated solution;

16.Calls for the cancellation of Ukraine’s foreign debt in order to allow for genuine recovery and social reconstruction;

17.Stresses that a sustainable peace settlement must include Russia’s repayments and contribution to reconstruction costs, in accordance with international law;

18.Notes that the EU Member States spent EUR 21.9 billion on purchasing Russian fossil fuels in 2024; notes with concern that the purchase of Russian fossil fuels in 2024 exceeded the EUR 18.7 billion allocated to Ukraine in financial aid;

19.Calls for EU support for civilian reconstruction, including public services, housing, healthcare and education, and for environmental remediation;

20.Calls for the EU and its Member States to work towards a Europe free from war, where security is defined not by military power but by social justice, solidarity, environmental sustainability, and respect for the rule of law, democracy and human rights;

21.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, Ukraine and the Russian Federation, the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.