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European Parliament
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Press release
06-10-2022
Plenary sessionSEDEAFET
• Sham referenda conducted at gunpoint are “null and void”
• Russian threats to use nuclear weapons will not deter the EU from further assistance to Ukraine
• Call for an ad hoc international tribunal for crime of aggression against Ukraine
• Nord Stream incident shows European critical infrastructure needs more protection
MEPs urge all countries and international organisations to condemn unequivocally the sham referenda in Ukraine and Russia’s attempt to acquire territory by force.
In a resolution adopted on Thursday, MEPs say the results of the sham referenda conducted at gunpoint to annex the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts are “null and void” and call on member states to adopt additional severe sanctions.
Increase military assistance to Ukraine
Hailing the courage of the Ukrainian people defending their country and European values, MEPs urge EU member states and other countries supporting Ukraine to increase massively their military assistance, particularly in areas requested by the Ukrainian government. “Hesitating” member states should provide their fair share of necessary military assistance, which will help shorten the war.
The recent Russian threats to use nuclear weapons are irresponsible and dangerous, warn MEPs. They call on member states and international partners to prepare a quick and decisive response should Russia conduct a nuclear strike on Ukraine. Any attempt by Russia to present attacks on occupied territories as an attack on Russia itself, and thus as grounds for a nuclear attack, is illegal and baseless and will not deter the European Union from further assistance to Ukraine’s self-defence.
MEPs condemn the military mobilisation in Russia and measures compelling residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to serve in Russia’s armed or auxiliary forces, an act which the Fourth Geneva Convention forbids., In order to maintain stability in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, MEPs also call for increased support for countries in the region who experienced an influx of Russian citizens, in particular Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.
Need to increase the protection of European critical infrastructure
Regarding the explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines, MEPs say there is “increasing speculation that it was a result of a coordinated and deliberate act by a state actor”. The explosions show how dangerous the policy of increasing dependence on Russian fossil fuels was and that the weaponisation of energy has been taken to a new level. The resolution calls on member states to treat the protection of European critical infrastructure as a priority, to increase its resilience against external attacks, and to further support the resilience of the Eastern European and Western Balkans partners.
Finally, MEPs call for the establishment of an ad hoc international tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, “where Putin and all those Russian civilian and military officials and their proxies responsible for masterminding, launching and conducting the war in Ukraine would be prosecuted”.
The resolution was adopted by 504 votes in favour 26 against and 36 abstentions.
Further information
[Free photos, videos and audio material](https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/package/russian-aggression-against-ukraine_22401)
[Committee on Foreign Affairs](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/afet/home.html)
[Subcommittee on Security and Defence](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/sede/home.html)
Snježana KOBEŠ?AK SMODIŠ
Press Officer