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The other Russia that we support wants peace, says EU chief at special session on Ukraine crisis
European Union president Ursula von der Leyen said men, women and children are dying in Ukraine because Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided the country does not have “any right to exist”.
European Union (EU) President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday there exists another Russia besides President Vladimir Putin's “tanks”, and the bloc extends its “friendship” to them.
Speaking at an extraordinary session of the European Parliament that saw a virtual address by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, von der Leyen said people of the “other Russia” can rest assured that they will have the EU's support.
Full coverage of Russia-Ukraine conflict here
Talking about the Kremlin's military offensive in Ukraine (a former Soviet member) that entered the sixth day on Tuesday, von der Leyen said these are “severely damaging the long-term interests” of Russia and its people.
“More and more Russians understand this as well. They're marching for peace and freedom. And how does the Kremlin respond to this? By arresting thousands of them,” she told the European Parliament.
Von der Leyen said in the end, the yearning for peace and freedom “cannot be silenced”.
The EU chief said men, women and children are dying in Ukraine because Putin has decided the country does not have “any right to exist”. “We will never, ever let that happen, and never, ever accept that,” she added.
Reiterating the bloc's stand against Russia's military operation in the east European nation, von der Leyen quoted a newspaper editor to state the war is a “clash of two worlds”.
“It is a clash between the rule of law and the rule of the gun, between democracies and autocracies, (and) between a rules-based order and a world of naked aggression. How we respond today to what Russia is doing will determine the future of the international system,” the EU chief said at the parliament session.
Von der Leyen then thanked Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania for allowing Ukrainian refugees to take shelter in their countries. She also announced the EU's proposal to activate the temporary protection mechanism through which these refugees can obtain a status in the countries, and get access to schools, work and medical care.
The EU chief also warned of stiffer sanctions against Russia in the days ahead, saying it will target its fancy cars and yachts, among others.
Since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, the EU along with its allies such as the US, Great Britain and Australia, among others, have imposed a slew of sanctions against Moscow to dismantle the country's economy. These have targetted the Russian central bank, state-run media, and the country's airlines as well.
Also Read | Russia bans airlines from 36 nations from its airspace as sanctions hit hard
Meanwhile, the situation in Ukraine worsened during the day, with heavy bombing taking place in the country's second-largest city of Khargiv. Advancing Russian troops burned down buildings by launching missiles causing at least 10 civilians to lose their lives. Zelenskyy said Russian missiles struck the central square of the city, and called for the Kremlin to be charged for “war crimes''.
Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian delegations have planned to meet for the second round of talks on Wednesday (March 2), Reuters reported. The first round of talks ended on February 28 along the Belarusian border, with Zelenskyy signing an application for EU membership on the same day.
