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

further to a debate on specific matters of interest to the EU

B100147/2026

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 its previous resolutions on Ukraine and Russia,

–having regard to the Paris Declaration – ‘Robust Security Guarantees for a Solid and Lasting Peace in Ukraine’ of 6 January 2026,

–having regard to the Charter of the United Nations, the Hague Conventions, the Geneva Conventions and the additional protocols thereto, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,

–having regard to the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris for a New Europe and the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances,

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

A.whereas four years have passed since Russia launched an illegal, unprovoked, and unjustified full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, continuing its 2014 annexation of Crimea and occupation of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk; whereas Russia continues to openly violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, causing severe humanitarian, economic and ecological consequences, as well as regional instability;

B.whereas Russian forces have systematically targeted residential areas and civilian infrastructure, killing thousands of Ukrainian civilians and destroying public and private property; whereas they are responsible for forced deportations, including of children, disappearances, illegal detentions, torture, executions of civilians and prisoners of war, and other acts of terror, including sexual violence; whereas Russia continues to alter the ethnic composition of temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories;

C.whereas Ukraine and international bodies have documented hundreds of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces; whereas such executions constitute serious violations of international law and human rights and are explicitly recognised as war crimes under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court;

D.whereas in recent months Russia has intensified its bombing campaign, targeting Ukraine’s energy and transport infrastructure; whereas this has had a severe impact on the Ukrainian population, which is facing a bitterly cold winter;

E.whereas the EU actively supports ongoing efforts to establish the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, within the framework of the Council of Europe, to investigate and prosecute the crime of aggression committed against Ukraine by Russia and its allies;

F.whereas the Military Police of the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Federal Penitentiary Service are holding an undetermined number of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians in incommunicado detention, with Ukrainian human rights organisations estimating that up to 16 000 Ukrainian civilians have been illegally deprived of their liberty;

G.whereas at least 20 000, and possibly up to 35 000, Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia and Belarus, or detained in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories;

H.whereas the EU and its Member States stand in solidarity with Ukraine, providing significant humanitarian, financial, political and military support; whereas the EU is the largest donor to Ukraine; whereas more than four million Ukrainians have received temporary protection in the EU;

I.whereas, under the Trump administration, the United States has altered its stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine and is currently mediating talks between Russia and Ukraine;

J.whereas a Coalition of the Willing, led by France and the United Kingdom, is working to establish security guarantees for Ukraine to be implemented in the event of a ceasefire;

K.whereas, at the same time, the EU continues to import goods worth billions of euros from Russia, revenues which directly finance its war of aggression against Ukraine and undermine European security;

L.whereas Ukraine is an EU candidate country and aims to meet the requirements for accession by 2028;

1.Continues to stand in solidarity with the brave people of Ukraine as we mark four years since the start of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine; pays tribute to the thousands who have sacrificed their lives for a free and democratic Ukraine and in defence of our shared European values; reiterates its strongest possible condemnation of Russia’s unprovoked, illegal and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine; continues to demand that Russia immediately cease all military activities in Ukraine, fully withdraw from Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory, release all detained and deported Ukrainians and compensate Ukraine for the damage caused; underlines that Russia, its leadership and its allies, such as the Belarusian regime, bear full responsibility for the war, war crimes and the crime of aggression, and calls for full accountability; strongly underlines Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defence;

2.Expresses its full support for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on international law and on terms acceptable to Ukraine and its people; stresses that any agreement must uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, prevent Russia from rearming, and guarantee Ukraine’s long-term security; insists that the EU must contribute significantly to robust security guarantees for Ukraine in order to deter further Russian aggression;

3.Strongly deplores any attempts at blackmailing Ukraine’s leadership into surrender to the Russian aggressor for the sole purpose of announcing a so-called peace deal; recalls the imperative obligation under international law of non-recognition of any forcible seizure or annexation of territory; recalls its position that the EU will continue not to recognise the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine as Russian territory; emphasises that only Ukraine, as a sovereign state, can decide on the stationing of foreign troops on its territory; highlights the impact on morale in Ukraine of sometimes ill-considered promises to deliver a peace process within a specific time frame;

4.Stresses that any agreement ending Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine will have far-reaching implications for European security and underlines the EU’s responsibility in shaping its future architecture; calls for the EU and its Member States to assume greater responsibility for the security of the continent, considering the heightened threats and changing geopolitical environment; calls on the Member States to significantly increase defence spending in line with the new NATO targets; highlights the urgent need to increase military assistance for Ukraine and to strengthen both EU and Ukrainian defence industries, while enhancing the EU’s own defence readiness, strategic autonomy and progress towards a genuine EU Defence Union;

5.Notes that Member States are facing hybrid attacks from Russia and its allies, particularly from Belarus, on account of their support for Ukraine, and emphasises that any agreement with Russia must include a commitment to the immediate cessation of hybrid warfare against the EU and its partners, including Ukraine;

6.Calls for the EU and its Member States to act decisively, coherently and reliably as Ukraine’s leading strategic partner, and to actively work towards maintaining the broadest possible international support for Ukraine; stresses that the EU and its Member States must significantly increase their assistance, particularly in the provision of defence equipment, including air defence, training and the strategic support necessary to uphold Ukraine’s right to self-defence;

7.Welcomes the EU’s decision to provide a EUR 90 billion loan to Ukraine to help meet the country’s financial needs in 2026 and 2027; continues to call on the Member States to identify and implement a legally and financially sound solution for the use of frozen Russian assets;

8.Welcomes the forthcoming adoption of the 20th EU sanctions package against Russia; reiterates its call for a comprehensive ban on remaining Russian and Belarusian imports, specifically targeting unsanctioned raw materials; demands the immediate acceleration of the fossil fuel phase-out with a view to achieving a full embargo on all Russian oil, pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as soon as possible; calls for the expansion of the ‘shadow fleet’ blacklist to include a total ban on all maritime and insurance services for vessels bypassing the price cap; reiterates its call for EU sanctions on Russia’s nuclear energy sector;

9.Calls for the EU and its Member States to impose sanctions on the Military Police of the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Federal Security Service (FSB), and the Federal Penitentiary Service for their systematic involvement in the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, torture and incommunicado detention; calls, moreover, for the EU and its Member States to impose personal sanctions on all heads of institutions and other Russian officials of Russian penitentiary institutions in which Ukrainian civilians are illegally detained; calls for the EU and its Member States to ban the entry into the Schengen area of Russian military personnel who have participated in the war of aggression against Ukraine; urges the Member States to systematically tackle the issue of sanctions circumvention and ensure full and effective implementation;

10.Reaffirms that Ukraine’s future lies in the EU; welcomes progress on accession-related reforms despite the ongoing war; commends the work of the anti-corruption agencies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABO) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), and the High Anti-Corruption Court, and reiterates the importance of sustained efforts to combat corruption; calls for the acceleration of accession negotiations; recognises Ukraine’s European integration as a strategic priority for the EU and calls for the EU and its Member States to prepare for future enlargement by implementing internal reforms and developing a clear strategy for enlargement;

11.Calls on the Ukrainian authorities to uphold parliamentary pluralism as a cornerstone of democratic governance and to ensure constructive and meaningful cooperation with all parliamentary political forces represented in the Verkhovna Rada; stresses that elections in Ukraine can only be held in accordance with the Ukrainian Constitution and international election standards, and that this must be done in a way that ensures the safe and inclusive participation of all Ukrainian citizens, both inside and outside Ukraine, including those serving in the Ukrainian military;

12.Calls on the Member States to fully implement temporary protection for Ukrainian citizens, and, together with the Commission, to prepare for a coordinated and sustainable transition that addresses the needs of Ukrainian citizens in the event of any agreement ending Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine;

13.Calls for the EU, its Member States and international partners to increase pressure on Russia to comply with its international obligations, including international humanitarian law and particularly the Geneva Convention; welcomes the recent exchange of prisoners agreed by Ukraine and Russia;

14.Calls for the EU and its Member States to strengthen EU strategic communication, counter hybrid threats together, and prevent Russian interference in political, electoral, and other processes in the EU and in Ukraine;

15.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the relevant EU institutions, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the President, Government and Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the United States, the United Nations and the Russian and Belarusian authorities.