Metsola: 'EU must ensure Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine is costliest mistake Kremlin ever made'

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola condemns war crimes in Ukraine, calling for further sanctions and warning that Europe must urgently reduce its dependency on Russia

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has condemned “war crimes” committed by the Russians in Ukraine, calling for a new raft of “forceful” sanctions.

Metsola’s speech comes days after she travelled to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and address the Ukrainian parliament.

“The atrocities committed by the Russians in Ukraine are horrific and disgraceful and shameful. The reality is that the images from Bucha are the same as reports from other cities in Ukraine. They underline the level of threat facing Ukraine and the world,” Metsola said.

The EP president referred to disturbing images of slaughtered civilians that have emerged from the Ukrainian town of Bucha, where retreating Russian forces have been accused of committing war crimes.

“In Kyiv, it was clear these are war crimes perpetrated by war criminals, and these acts of inhumanity cannot remain unanswered; we must hold all those responsible to account. Ukraine is fighting for our values in the most impossible of conditions, and we have to support them, which means we must adopt a new package of forceful sanctions,” Metsola said.

She went on to say that these sanctions must target those that bankroll Russian President Vladimir Putin, close any existing loopholes, and make sure that Putin’s political members and oligarchs have “nowhere to turn to.”

“Secondly, we need to step up our strategy of making this illegal invasion the costliest mistake the Kremlin has ever made. The hit to Russia’s economy must be proportionate to the unprecedented atrocities we are seeing,” Metsola said.

The EP president said that European businesses must look elsewhere for growth, and the European Parliament must support them. She also said that Europe must make sure it is not dependent on the Kremlin for anything, including energy.

“We must also stop indirectly funding those bombs. We must also offer logistical support to Ukraine, humanitarian aid, and military equipment. They are fighting for us and looking to us, and we must not ignore them.”

Following Metsola’s speech, the parliament followed a one minute moment of silence for the victims of war crimes.  

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