BRUSSELS, The European Parliament (EP) Wednesday called on the European Union (EU) and its member states to increase their military, political and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and strengthen their defence in countering Russian threats to European security.

This was stated in the EP’s annual Common Foreign and Security Policy report adopted on Wednesday by 407 votes in favour, 92 against and 142 abstentions.

The EU’s response to the Russian war against Ukraine is being closely watched by autocracies around the world and will greatly influence how they behave on the international stage, warns the report.

The report also calls on the EU institutions to make a proposal on how the EU could secure a permanent seat in all multilateral forums, including the UN Security Council.

It also urges the EU to become less dependent on imported energy resources and other materials critical to its infrastructure.

In a separate annual 2022 report on the implementation of the Common Security and Defence Policy, also adopted on Wednesday by 459 votes in favour, 93 against and 85 abstentions, the EP calls for the immediate deployment of modern weapons and a next-generation air defence system, urging German Chancellor Scholz to deliver Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine without further delay.

The report welcomes new EU initiatives to enhance European security and defence and calls on EU Member states to continue developing the EU’s cyber-defence policy and capabilities, and to establish security and defence partnerships with like-minded partners worldwide.

Source: Kuwait News Agency