Ukraine, European Parliament urges lifting restrictions on using weapons on Russian territory

Brussels – Lifting restrictions on the use of Western weapons to strike military targets in Russia is the loud and clear appeal of the European Parliament: with 425 votes in favor, 131 against, and 63 abstentions, the Strasbourg Chamber called on member states to allow Ukraine to “fully exercise its right to self-defense” by “immediately” lifting restrictions on weapons delivered to Kyiv. Italian party delegations resisted, only to – in most cases – set their hearts at rest and endorse a resolution reaffirming the EU’s steadfast support for Ukraine.

The issue of the use of Western weapons on Russian territory has been holding sway for some time. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged Atlantic Alliance countries to reconsider restrictions in May. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borell, also made the case, going so far as to define as “ridiculous” the staunchly contrary position of Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. Judging by the way the Italian MEPs voted on paragraph 8 of the resolution, the one on lifting restrictions,  Italy is compact with a handful of countries that put the risk of dangerous military escalation ahead of the wartime demands of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The call to approve weapons use passed with 377 votes in favor, 191 against, and 51 abstentions. Of the Italians, only seven voted in favor: Ruggero Razza and Lara Magoni of Fratelli d’Italia (FdI), Giuseppina Princi, Massimiliano Salini, and Marco Falcone (Forza Italia), and Elisabetta Gualmini and Pina Picierno (Democratic Party). Almost all of FdI opposed it, as did the entire block of MEPs from the League. Forza Italia split in two, with Caterina Chinnici, Salvatore De Meo, and Flavio Tosi against lifting the restrictions. While the Dem delegation frayed, still voting no in a clear majority, the 5 Star Movement, Green Alliance, and the Left were compact in opposition.

In a note, 5 Star Movement MEP Danilo Della Valle called the resolution “an invitation to war, denouncing the House’s rejection of “all amendments that called for the opening of genuine peace negotiations.” The Italian Greens delegation justified the no vote on the resolution as a whole because it was “stubbornly aimed at pursuing military victory at any cost without really addressing the issue of peace negotiations.” While M5S, AVS, and League reiterated their opposition to the overall resolution, the PD approved the final text. So did FI and FdI, which did not want to question the government’s support for Kyiv.

European Parliament urges speeding up arms supply to Ukraine

The text approved by the European Parliament says much more. It points the finger at member states guilty of decreasing the volume of bilateral military aid to Ukraine, urges speeding up the delivery of weapons, air defense systems, and ammunition, and fulfilling the March 2023 pledge – not yet achieved – to supply Kyiv with one million munitions. But that’s not all: the MEPs call for strengthening sanctions against Iran and North Korea for their military support to Moscow and urge the EU and the international community to establish a legal regime to seize frozen Russian state assets to use as “part of efforts to compensate Ukraine for the extensive damage it has suffered.”

In the final (non-binding, however) document, several amendments were added that emphasize Hungary’s growing ambiguity toward the conflict in Ukraine. On these, the League came out into the open, complicit after joining the Sovereignist group founded by pro-Russian Viktor Orban. The League’s delegation in Brussels said in a note that it could not agree with “initiatives that dangerously fuel tension and military escalation, which envisage allocating 0.25 percent of GDP on military aid,” and which attack “those who, like the Hungarian government, actively work to make diplomacy prevail.”