European Parliament has emergency session today over Russian invasion

At an extraordinary meeting of Parliament’s Conference of Presidents, President Roberta Metsola and the leaders of Parliament’s political groups decided to hold an extraordinary plenary session in Brussels on Tuesday, 1 March starting at 12:00. They will debate Parliament’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, and adopt a related resolution.

On Thursday 24 February, a statement by the Conference of Presidents condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine in the strongest possible terms and called the invasion unjustified and illegal. MEPs said that Ukraine is an independent and sovereign nation and its territorial integrity is non-negotiable.

Conference of Presidents Statement:

The European Parliament Conference of Presidents was convened by President Roberta Metsola this morning to discuss our response to Russia’s invasion into Ukraine.

An exchange of views was held with the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen.

The Conference of Presidents condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. Ukraine is an independent and sovereign nation and its territorial integrity is non-negotiable. The invasion is unjustified and illegal. It is a threat to European and regional stability, as well as to the rules-based world order. The attack targets our model of democratic society. It cannot go unanswered.

We remain firm in our unity, in our resolve and in our response to unprovoked Russian aggression. The European Parliament supports an unprecedented European and international response, including new and severe sanctions that will ensure the Kremlin will be held accountable for its actions.

The Conference of Presidents expressed full solidarity and support for Ukraine and its people.