The European Parliament on Thursday called on EU states to “lift restrictions” on Ukraine’s use of Western weapons against “military targets” in Russia, prompting a sharp reaction from the Duma speaker.
Meeting in plenary session, MEPs considered, in a resolution adopted in Strasbourg, that restrictions on the use of Western weapons against targets located in Russia “hinder Ukraine’s ability to fully exercise its right to self-defense” and “expose the population and infrastructure of Ukraine to attacks.”
The text, which has no binding legal value, was adopted by a large majority (425 votes for, 131 against, 63 abstentions).
The members of the European Parliament also called on member states to “increase their funding” and humanitarian aid to Kyiv, deeming the military assistance provided so far to be “insufficient”.
In particular, they call on EU states to respect “their commitment made in March 2023 to supply Ukraine with one million artillery shells” and to speed up arms deliveries, in particular “modern air defence systems” and Taurus missiles.
“What the European Parliament is demanding leads to a world war with nuclear weapons,” Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, responded on Telegram. “For your information, the flight time of a Sarmat missile to Strasbourg is only 3 minutes and 20 seconds.”
“The Parliament has once again shown determination and leadership,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiga said on X, expressing his “gratitude” for this “strong” resolution.
The Patriots for Europe group (PfE, far right, led by the president of the National Rally Jordan Bardella) is the only one whose MPs did not support the text.
“We cannot, as things stand, support provisions which not only would not resolve the conflict in any way, but would also fuel the risk of escalation and deal further blows to the purchasing power of the French,” declared the French delegation of the National Rally, which sits within the Patriots for Europe group.