European Parliament President Roberta Metsola delivered a rousing speech in the European Parliament about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, setting out 'four important principles for our future'.

Firstly, she said, Europe can no longer remain reliant on Kremlin gas. "We need to re-double our efforts to diversify our energy systems towards a Europe that is no longer at the behest of autocrats. This will put our energy security on stronger footing."

Secondly, Europe can no longer welcome Kremlin cash and pretend there are no strings attached, she said. “Putin's oligarchs and those who bankroll him should no longer be able to use their purchasing power to hide behind a veneer of respectability - in our cities, communities...or our sports clubs.”

“Their super yachts should find no harbour in our Europe. And we can no longer sell passports to Putin's friends allowing them to circumvent our security. No more,” she said.

This particular point is problematic for the Maltese government, that has refrained from imposing a suspension or ban on the sale of citizenship to Russian nationals.

 

For her third principle, Metsola said that “investment in our defence must match our rhetoric. Europe must move to have a real security and defence Union. We have shown the last week that it is possible and desirable - and more than anything it is necessary.”

Her final principle was that the EU must “fight the Kremlin’s disinformation campaign.” She called  on social media and tech conglomerates to take their responsibility seriously “and to understand that there is no being neutral between the fire and the fire brigade.”

At the beginning of her speech, Metsola said that the message from Europe is clear: "We will stand up. We will not look away when those fighting in the streets for our values face down Putin's massive war machine." She said that the EU will support the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction and investigation of war crimes in Ukraine.

Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also going to address the EU Parliament.

"Mr President, thank you for showing the world what it means to stand up. Thank you for reminding us about the dangers of complacency," Metsola said, in a message directed at Zelenskyy.

"Everyday acts of extraordinary heroism by Ukrainians inspire us all. Defence forces and citizens making the ultimate sacrifice to delay a column of tanks. Senior citizens standing up to face down Russian troops with nothing but pride and sunflowers as their weapon. Brave women forced to give birth in metro stations next to their Kalashnikovs," she said. "They showed the world that our way of life is worth defending. It is worth a cost. All those who remember living under occupation will attest to that. All those standing up in Belarus. All those looking to us in Moldova - in Georgia. It is worth it. For us, for the next generation, for all those in Ukraine and around the world who believe in Europe and in our way. For all those who want to be free."

She described the European response thus far. This must be our "Whatever it Takes" moment, she said.

Neighbouring States have accepted hundreds of thousands fleeing Ukrainians. Europeans sheltered Ukrainians in their homes, she said.

"We have implemented a series of unprecedented, massive, sanctions, we have gone further and will provide much needed weapons to Ukraine, we have declared that Russian aircraft and oligarchs' private jets are no longer welcome in our open skies. We have moved for Russia to be disconnected from the SWIFT system. We have banned Kremlin propaganda tools," she said.

Europe stands ready to go further still, she added. "We recognise Ukraine's European perspective. As our Resolution clearly states we welcome, Mr President, Ukraine's application for candidate status and, we will work towards that goal. We will and we must face the future together."

She said that she will seek a ban on any representative of the Kremlin from entering European Parliament premises. "Aggressors and warmongers have no place in the House of democracy."

President of the European Council Charles Michel also addressed the plenary session. He said that the people of Ukraine made the choice for freedom and democracy. "It's not only Ukraine that is under attack, but so is international law, democracy and human dignity".

He said that the EU had promised to act quickly, and the actions that followed matched their word.

Michel said that the EU is excluding key Russian banks from the swift system, with severe sanctions affecting the economic sector.

Referring to the sanctions against Russia, he said that although every country will be affected because of this, it will be worth it.

He added that despite all the support Ukraine received from several countries, solidarity is also being shown by the military sources being delivered.

Referring to the pleas by Ukrainian president Zelenskyy, for Ukraine to be urgently considered as an EU member state, he said that the EU has to make appropriate choices in a "clear-headed" manner.

"When this war launched, Putin thought he was going to break Europe's unity... he was wrong. He thought he was going to easily take Ukraine," said Michel.

"Europe has to look at Zelenskyy as the incarnation of European balance and stand firmly in front of the aggressor."

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles also addressed the plenary.

"This reminds us that the tragedy of the war never fades away," he said.

He added that Europe needs to think about instruments for counterattack in the face of reckless adversaries.

He said that Europe has to start working and following instructions given by the European commission to remove dependency on Russia.

"We have to push member states to take Russia out of the financial system," he said.

"We are working in the international arena to build a coalition to condemn Russia," he said.

He said that the EU needs to side with Ukraine.  He said that the sanctions in place can have a huge effect on the outcome."

"I believe that the most important lesson from these circumstances is that we cannot simply call for the rule of law and hope that our commercial relationships will help everybody on a democratic path. The forces of evil, the forces that want to use physical violence as a way to solve conflict are still there, against which we need to be more consistent, be more united, more than we are now," he said.

Additional reporting by Sabrina Zammit