Aid to Ukraine not about charity but about self-preservation - Metsola

This was stated today in Brussels by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, during a keynote speech at the annual conference of EU diplomats, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Our support for Ukraine is not charity, it is not altruism, it is also self-preservation. Because if Putin wins, no one is safe – not Ukraine, not Europe, not even the United States. This is why High Representative Kallas and President (of the European Council) Costa made it clear on their first official visit to Kyiv, and I know that because we are together, Europe is at its strongest,” Metsola said.

“We all want peace. But as we enter the fourth winter of this war, I do not want us to let go of what we mean by that. Peace must be just. It must be genuine. It must be grounded in the principle of nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. And for that, there’s no option. Ukraine must be in a position of strength. And that means that we, as Europe, must step up diplomatically, financially, militarily, and in humanitarian aid,” added the President of the European Parliament.

In this context, she stressed the need for the EU to continue to work on frozen Russian assets and take more steps to make EU sanctions against Russia tougher. This is what Metsola said would be the message to the European Parliament next week at the plenary session in Strasbourg as MEPs will mark three years since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

As reported earlier, on Monday, February 3, during an informal retreat of EU leaders in Brussels, where the main issue on the agenda was strengthening European defenses, leaders reaffirmed their firm support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

Photo: Valeria Mongelli/Bloomberg