BRUSSELS — The EU's
leaders accused
Russia of "geopolitical terrorism" Tuesday over its
invasion of Ukraine, warning that it is not just Kyiv's fate but also Europe's
that "lies in the balance".
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The strident tone of speeches at the
European Parliament underlined the
EU’s transformation over the past week from
lumbering talk shop into quick-footed powerhouse.
In a video address to the meeting, Ukrainian
President
Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude for the unprecedented measures
Brussels has deployed against Russia and in support of his armed forces,
including the funding of arms deliveries.
"Without you, Ukraine is going to be
alone. We have proven our strength. We have proven that, at a minimum, we are
exactly the same as you are," Zelensky said from Kyiv.
"Prove you are with us, do prove that
you will not let us go."
The EU's two top officials, European Council
President
Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der
Leyen, expressed full backing.
"It's not only Ukraine that is under
attack," Michel said.
"International law, the rules-based
international order, democracy, human dignity are also under attack. This is
geopolitical terrorism, pure and simple," he said.
Von der Leyen called it "a moment of
truth for
Europe".
"The destiny of Ukraine is at stake,
but our own fate also lies in the balance," she said.
As part of the EU's response, she said,
Brussels would provide 500 million euros ($560 million) in extra funding to
help deal with the "humanitarian consequences" of the war, including
the flow of refugees into the bloc.
Michel and von der Leyen underlined the
measures the EU has already taken in coordination with the US, Britain, Canada,
and Japan.
They include sanctions that are causing
Russia's economy to buckle, for example banning transactions with its central
bank, targeting President Vladimir Putin and some of his top ministers and
aides as well as oligarchs propping up his rule.
There is also a prohibition on Russian
flights in EU airspace and a ban on state-linked Russian media organizations
broadcasting into the bloc.
The EU is poised to publish a list of
Russian banks it will cut out of the global
SWIFT interbank network.
The EU has also dropped a taboo by opening a
fund — the European Peace Facility — to pay for the delivery of arms from EU
member states to Ukraine, to the tune of 450 million euros.
The steps taken are harder hitting and came
faster than many — including EU officials and leaders — ever thought
possible.
"Our European response was on display
over the last, very painful days. This must be our 'whatever it takes'
moment," Michel said.
'Fighting for survival'
However not all of Ukraine's wish list is being
fulfilled, notably Zelensky's plea for his country to be given
"immediate"
EU membership.
"We're fighting for survival. And this
is the highest of all motivations. But we are asking also to be equal members
of Europe," he said.
EU officials, while sympathetic, say there
is no short-cut path for membership and any accession process would take years.
EU countries in NATO are also shying away
from
Ukrainian demands for a no-fly zone to prevent Russian warplanes
decimating Ukrainian forces and population centers.
That would essentially mean a threat against
the world's largest nuclear power, risking an escalatory response that could
devastate Europe, or the world.
"NATO is not going to be part
of the conflict. So,
NATO is not going to send troops into Ukraine or move
planes into Ukrainian airspace," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on
Tuesday in Poland, during a visit to an alliance airbase.
The EU is conscious of potential blowback if
it sends troops, not least because Russia accounts for around a third of its
natural gas supplies.
Michel said that "protecting our
liberty comes at a price".
He warned the European public that, at a
time of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and spiking inflation, the
consequences would bite.
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