Ukrainian parliament calls for greater international pressure on Russia
Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, called on international organizations and foreign governments to condemn Russia’s military escalation and ramp up sanctions against Moscow in a resolution passed on Feb. 15.
The resolution, No. 7045, was supported by 326 out of the Rada’s 424 MPs.
The Verkhovna Rada resolution is addressed to the United Nations, the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), governments and legislatures of foreign countries.
In it, the Rada urges Russia to withdraw its troops and military equipment away from Ukraine’s borders and pull out of the areas it occupies illegally; to halt naval exercises in Ukrainian territorial waters; and to refrain from impeding maritime trade.
The document calls for Moscow to be condemned for its hostile actions against Ukraine and to be subject to more severe Western sanctions. These measures are to deter the Kremlin from any further aggression and preserve European security, the resolution reads.
The Rada requested continued international support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. The Rada also stressed the need for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing crisis created by Russia, in line with international law and through diplomatic engagement.
The Rada also suggests that the international community increases its support for Ukraine, including efforts that bolster Kyiv’s defensive capabilities.
Continuing crisis
Meanwhile, on Feb. 10, U.S. President Joe Biden met with his national security advisors to discuss the situation on Ukraine’s borders, according to international news agency Reuters. Russian naval exercises in the Black Sea and military drills in Belarus left officials convinced that “the situation is approaching a critical point.”
Earlier, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that media is oversaturated on the subject of a potential Russian invasion, and urged the public to remain calm, assuring them that “everything is under control.”
Currently, there are approximately 140,000 Russian troops surrounding Ukraine, from Russia, Belarus, and the temporarily occu
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