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

B100145/2026

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

(2026/2599(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to the UN Charter, including Article 4(2) thereof,

–having regard to its previous resolutions on Ukraine,

–having regard to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the additional protocols thereto, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,

–having regard to the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe of 1975,

–having regard to the Charter of Paris for a New Europe of 19-21 November 1990,

–having regard to the Association Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part,

–having regard to Rule 167(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas 24 February 2026 marked four years of resilience and unwavering determination, courage and sacrifice by Ukrainian soldiers and citizens in defending their country against Russia’s war of aggression, despite Russia’s barbaric crimes causing immense civilian and military losses; whereas Russia’s war against Ukraine started in 2014 with the illegal occupation and annexation of the Crimean peninsula and the subsequent occupation of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions;

B.whereas for four years Russia’s forces have systematically and indiscriminately attacked residential areas and civilian infrastructure, causing the deaths of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and the destruction of public and private property; whereas Russian forces are responsible for forced deportations, disappearances, including of children, illegal imprisonments, torture, executions of civilians, soldiers and prisoners of war, and acts of terror, including the use of sexual violence and mass rape as weapons of war, and they continue to alter the ethnic composition of the occupied territories of Ukraine, all of which constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity and meet the criteria for genocide;

C.whereas millions of Ukrainians remain displaced both inside and outside their country, having fled the violence and destruction caused by Russia’s aggression;

D.whereas Russia has consistently shown no interest in peace and it continues to attack Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure; whereas at the start of 2026, Russia targeted critical infrastructure and energy facilities in Ukraine in the cities and oblasts of Kyiv and Kharkiv, as well as Sumy and Poltava oblasts, among other areas, killing civilians and leaving thousands with no power and heating as freezing temperatures swept through the country;

E.whereas despite suffering a high number of casualties, Russia shows no sign of slowing down its war of aggression against Ukraine, recruiting around 30 000 troops per month on average throughout 2025, which shows an evident lack of interest in a peaceful resolution; whereas up to 640 000 Russian troops are currently deployed against Ukraine;

F.whereas Russia is sustaining the war of aggression against Ukraine through attrition rather than any decisive gains; whereas Russa has been advancing at an average rate of 15 to 70 metres per day since 2024, at huge human cost; whereas Russian forces have suffered an estimated 1.2 million casualties since the beginning of the full-scale invasion against Ukraine, more than any major super power since World War II;

G.whereas Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty in June 2024 with North Korea, the most notorious totalitarian regime on the planet, which establishes a military alliance between the countries; whereas Pyongyang has entered the war on the Russian side, sending military personnel and officers; whereas thousands of Cuban nationals are also fighting alongside Russian forces against Ukraine, making up the second largest group of Russian-allied soldiers after North Korea; whereas such massive participation of Cuban nationals in the war could not be possible without the knowledge and approval of the regime in Havana; whereas the regime in Iran has also been playing a key role in the conflict, as it is a major supplier of military equipment to Russia; whereas the Lukashenka regime has facilitated Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine by giving Russian forces full access to Belarusian territory and supplying them with ammunition, fuel and other supplies; whereas this demonstrates a broad system of cooperation of authoritarian regimes that aids Russia in its war of aggression and undermines Europe’s security;

H.whereas Russia has been taking advantage of an increasing number of Africans – including citizens of Kenya, Ghana, Botswana and South Africa – by luring them into Russia, and sending them to the front lines under false employment pretences; whereas Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla – the daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma – resigned as a member of parliament following accusations of tricking 17 South African men into fighting for Russia in the war of aggression against Ukraine; whereas together with mercenaries and voluntary recruits, there are reportedly over 1 400 citizens of 36 African nations fighting for Russia;

I.whereas Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is a direct threat to European peace, stability and freedom; whereas Russia has repeatedly engaged in deliberate acts of hybrid warfare inside Union territory, and in EU Member States bordering Ukraine in particular, including cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns and electoral interference, weaponisation of energy, arson attacks, sabotage of critical infrastructure, Global Satellite Navigation Systems (including GPS) jamming and spoofing, as well as in military provocations, including violations of airspace by fighter jets and long-range strike drones, while seeking to spread fear among EU citizens, destabilise the political situation in the Member States and reduce the EU’s support for Ukraine;

J.whereas the United States has been the largest individual donor to Ukraine, providing the most bilateral aid of any country in the world; whereas the EU and its Member States have provided unprecedented political, humanitarian, military and financial assistance to Ukraine; whereas this assistance has proven to be essential for Ukraine’s survival, economic stability and continuous ability to defend itself against Russian aggression;

K.whereas NATO is a cornerstone of collective defence of its European members; whereas in 2014, NATO members made a commitment to spend at least 2 % of their respective national GDP on defence; whereas in 2025, an agreement was made to raise this share of GDP to 3.5 % on core defence and up to 5 % on broader security needs; whereas the United States is, in absolute terms, the largest contributor to NATO defence spending and remains an indispensable ally for European defence and security; whereas it is imperative that European members of NATO follow through with their commitments to invest in defence;

L.whereas the EU’s goal remains a just and lasting peace that is grounded in international law and fully respects Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty; whereas a peace agreement will have to be underpinned by credible, robust security guarantees, in order to prevent and immediately counteract any renewed Russian aggressions; whereas accountability for crimes committed by Russia during its war of aggression is essential for sustainable peace; whereas Russia’s neo-imperial policy has included demands concerning the European security order, as reflected in its 2021 pre-war demands, which constituted de facto blackmail; whereas Russia has the power to end the war at any time by withdrawing its forces from Ukraine; whereas peace imposed through aggression, coercion or territorial concessions would undermine international law, encourage Russia to commit further acts of violence and pose a direct threat to Europe;

M.whereas the EU holds approximately EUR 210 billion in assets of the Russian Central Bank and associated reserves; whereas in December 2025 the Council decided to prohibit, on a temporary basis, any transfers back to Russia of the assets immobilised in the EU of the Russian Central Bank; whereas this measure is to be maintained as long as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine and poses, or threatens to pose, serious economic difficulties within the EU;

N.whereas on 14 January 2026, the Commission presented a financial support package for Ukraine for 2026 and 2027; whereas this support, which includes a loan, will help Ukraine strengthen its defence capabilities and ensure the country’s continued economic survival; whereas in the scope of the proposal, the EU reserves its right to use Russian immobilised assets held in the EU to repay the loan;

1.Reiterates its strongest condemnation of Russia’s continued war of aggression against Ukraine and demands that Russia immediately terminate all military activities in Ukraine, unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire internationally recognised territory of Ukraine and compensate Ukraine for the damage caused to its people, land, nature and infrastructure;

2.Expresses its undivided solidarity with the people of Ukraine, along with its full support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders, and underlines that this war of aggression constitutes a blatant and flagrant violation of the UN Charter and the fundamental principles of international law;

3.Underlines that the EU and its Member States must learn from the strategic failures of the Minsk agreements, which neither secured Ukraine’s sovereignty nor held Russia accountable; considers that, in view of Russia’s history of blatant violations of previous legally binding agreements, commitments to respect the sovereignty of its neighbours and fundamental principles of international law, any agreement on a just and sustainable peace will have to be backed by effective measures to monitor the implementation of commitments and deter delayed fulfilment of obligations, and be underpinned by robust EU and US security guarantees to Ukraine that will prevent and immediately counteract any renewed Russian aggressions;

4.Recalls its position that Ukrainian territory temporarily occupied by Russia will not be recognised by the EU and its Member States; reaffirms that a just and sustainable peace agreement must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, recognition and territorial integrity, preserving its pre-2014 borders and emphasising their legitimacy; underlines that any peace agreement must not make Ukraine vulnerable to future attacks and, therefore, must not put limitations on the country’s ability to defend its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity;

5.Reaffirms that negotiations on the future of Ukraine must be conducted with Ukraine from the outset, and that any negotiations that will have an impact on the security situation of Europe must involve the EU and its Member States;

6.Strongly condemns Russia’s use of sexual violence, mass deportations, forced disappearances, torture and summary executions as weapons of terror, including the illegal deportation and imprisonment of Ukrainian children; strongly reaffirms that there must be full accountability for the war crimes committed by Russia, its allies and its proxy forces against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people; demands that Russia release all prisoners of war and imprisoned Ukrainian civilians; reaffirms that all Ukrainian children abducted by Russia must be returned;

7.Strongly condemns the continuous military support provided to Russia by Iran; strongly condemns the military collaboration between North Korea and Russia, and considers the deployment of North Korean troops to be a violation of several UN Security Council resolutions, contributing to Russia’s aggression; strongly condemns the regime in Cuba for its complicity in Russia’s war of aggression by allowing thousands of Cuban citizens to travel to Russia under coercion and false pretences to fight as mercenaries alongside Russian forces; urges the governments of South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Botswana and other African nations to stamp out deceptive recruitment that sees young men fight on the front lines alongside Russian forces;

8.Calls for the EU and its Member States to maintain their unwavering support for Ukraine and to sustain their assistance in order to secure Ukraine’s future, support its survival and preserve Ukraine’s ability to defend itself in the face of Russian aggression; welcomes, in this context, the proposal for a financial support package for Ukraine for 2026 and 2027; emphasises the need to use immobilised Russian assets to ensure that Russia is held accountable and provides financial compensation for the destruction it has caused in Ukraine;

9.Strongly condemns Russia for waging hybrid warfare against EU Member States and for carrying out attacks, provocations and sabotage in the Member States; reiterates, given the current volatile security situation in Europe, the importance of maintaining NATO and US military presence on the eastern flank as a crucial component of the region’s stability; calls for the EU and its Member States to assume more responsibility for security on the European continent; underlines that all EU initiatives should fully complement and be compatible with the work of NATO;

10.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the President, Government and Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.