European Parliament tightens sanctions against Russia

Addressing the participants of the special session of the European Parliament by video link on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged them to “prove that you are with us. These words came a day after Kiev officially asked the EU to allow Ukraine to join the bloc.

MEPs, many wearing #standwithUkraine T-shirts or blue-and-yellow scarves and ribbons, gave Zelensky a standing ovation.

“We are fighting to be equal members of Europe. Prove that you are with us. Prove that you are not pushing us away. Prove that you are truly Europeans, and then life will conquer death and light will conquer darkness,” Zelensky said.

The presidents of eight Central and Eastern European countries on Monday published an open letter calling for Ukraine to be granted immediate candidate status and for the start of formal talks on the country’s membership in the European Union.

European Council President Charles Michel said after Zelensky’s speech in the European Parliament that the EU should seriously consider Ukraine’s “legitimate” request for membership. However, he added: “It will be difficult; we know that there are different views in Europe on the issue of further enlargement of European structures.”

According to the draft text, which deputies will vote on later, EU lawmakers are expected to classify Russia as a “rogue state” and call on EU states to adopt tougher sanctions. This includes expanding the scope of sanctions “aimed at strategically weakening the Russian economy and industrial base, particularly the military-industrial complex.”

Russia’s military operation in Ukraine “actually turns Russia into a rogue state,” the deputies say. The European Parliament will call on EU leaders to be tougher on Russian oligarchs and officials, limit oil and gas imports from Russia, completely shut down access to the SWIFT system for Russia and its ally Belarus, and close all EU ports to Russian ships and vessels traveling to or from Russia.