F.P. Report
BRUSSELS: A high-level delegation of eight MEPs, led by the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Security and Defence Subcommittee Chairs David McAllister (EPP, DE) and Nathalie Loiseau (Renew, FR), will carry out a fact-finding mission to Ukraine, departing this Sunday, the EP said in a statement on Wednesday.
During the visit, from 30 January to 2 February, MEPs will observe the situation on the ground, and demonstrate the European Parliament’s solidarity with the Ukrainian people and its opposition to any steps by Russia to further escalate the crisis.
The visit is part of large-scale diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation and avoid the disastrous consequences of a possible war in Ukraine.
The European Parliament delegation will meet with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and has requested meetings with the President, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers and the deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration. They will also hold talks with the Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council and Members of the Verkhova Rada’s Committees on Foreign Affairs, on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union, and on Security and Defence.
The current crisis has been provoked by an ongoing Russian military build-up in and around Ukraine, as well as the destabilising use of hybrid attacks, including disinformation and cyber-attacks, on Ukrainian government institutions.
In a resolution on Ukraine, adopted in December, the European Parliament expressed its support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
