They also called on EU leaders to exclude Russia from the G20 and other organisations such as Interpol, United Nations Human Rights Council, the World Trade Organisation and UNESCO, among others. They said that this “would be an important sign that the international community will not return to business as usual with the aggressor state”.

The Parliament called for Russian banks to be excluded from the SWIFT system, all Russian vessels to be banned from EU waters, and all docking in EU ports and road freight transport from and to Russia and Belarus to be banned.

Seizure of assets belonging to “Russian officials or the oligarchs associated with Putin’s regime, their proxies and strawmen, as well as those in Belarus linked to Lukashenka’s regime” was also one of the MEPs’ demands.

MEPs stressed that perpetrators of war crimes must be held accountable and called for a special UN tribunal for the crimes in Ukraine to be set up. This was in reference to the atrocities “that undeniably amount to war crimes”, committed by Russian troops in Ukraine, particularly in Bucha and other cities and villages.

Harrowing images of people lying dead in the streets after being mercilessly killed, beaten, tortured and set on fire by the Russian army in the once tranquil town of Bucha have recently been making the rounds on social media.

Heartbreaking images of children whose mothers wrote their names and family contact details on their backs, in case they get separated or killed have also been circulated online.

Parliament reiterated that deliveries of weapons must continue and be stepped up to allow Ukraine to effectively defend itself. EPs supports further defensive aid given to the Ukrainian armed forces individually by EU member states and collectively through the European Peace Facility.

Tensions in Europe have been increasing since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started on 24th February.

According to reports, more than 10 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine, with four million of those people seeking refuge abroad and over six million being displaced in the country itself. 

According to the OHCHR, there have been 3,455 civilian casualties in the country, with 1,417 killed and 2,038 injured. These are just official numbers, however, the actual figures may be considerably higher due to delays in reports.

If you wish to help Ukraine from Malta, but don’t know how, check out these Maltese organisations that are collecting funds and supplies to send to Ukraine. Alternatively, you can donate directly to some of these foreign organisations, as well as find a list of different things you could do on this webpage.

This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

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