PACE considers that one of the main political consequences of the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine is “that it has forged a renewed bond amongst democracies in support of Ukraine”. According to the parliamentarians, the Reykjavik Summit is the expression of this unity around common values, and the resolve to support Ukraine “as long as it takes”.
The resolution adopted today by PACE, on the basis of the report by Emanuelis Zingeris (Lithuania, EPP/CD), underlines that supporting Ukraine should be “a political imperative for the Council of Europe and its member States”, not only as an issue of rule of law and international justice, but also to protect democratic security in Europe.
In its resolution, the PACE has therefore set a number of priorities and recommends in particular:
- step up assistance to Ukraine;
- complete and implement a comprehensive system of accountability of the Russian Federation and its allies. In this regard, PACE supports the establishment of an international compensation mechanism and a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression to prosecute the political and military leadership of the Russian Federation.
- tackle legal gaps and loopholes in the sanction system;
- strengthen Europe's democratic security and resilience against external threats;
- and isolate diplomatically the aggressor regime.
Finally, the Parliamentary Assembly resolves to strengthen dialogue and co-operation with Russian forces and civil society who aspire to democratic change in Russia, and who share Council of Europe values.