Debate contributions by Sandra KALNIETE

Dear President, Colleagues, Since the start of the Russian aggression in 2022, the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office has registered more than 150 000 war crimes. The Russian army conducts a brutal colonial war, destroys cities, schools, hospitals, kills civilians, punishes prisoners of war. Conquerors torture and rape adults and children. The war crimes committed by Russia against Ukrainian children are unspeakably cruel. More than 5 million children have fled. 669 children have been killed and 1 854 have been injured. More than 20,000 have been deported. The Kremlin places the largest children in re-education camps and forcibly registers them with Russian citizenship. Smaller people with a changed identity are transferred for adoption. Ukrainians know the names of war criminals and it is the responsibility of the international community to bring those responsible to justice. Putin and his henchmen must be aware that war crimes are not time-barred. Let's not be naive! Putin aims to destroy the Ukrainian state and the identity of the Ukrainian people, seize its territory and resources, and this has not changed. Russia continues to bomb Ukrainian cities and kill civilians. The new mobilisation order of 160,000 shows that the Kremlin does not need peace, it is a pretence. We need peace, and Ukraine needs the most just peace. We must ensure that the peace agreement guarantees Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial unity and freedom to choose its future. The treaty must ensure that Russia is no longer able to resume its aggression.

Dear colleagues, The fourth year of war has begun, but Europe is still buying oil and gas from Russia, financing the aggression against Ukraine. The media are increasingly telling that sanctions are not working, that it is in Europe's interest to rebuild imports of fossil resources from Russia. It is alarming to hear that the US is considering a partial lifting of sanctions on the Russian energy sector. It is dangerous to continue importing Russian energy. This is not in the European interest. It is dangerous, it is unsafe, it harms Europe's security, economy, resilience and the environment. We no longer buy Russian gas, oil or electricity in the Baltic States. Since February we have completely disconnected from BRELL the electricity grid and connected to the European grid. The Baltic States have become completely independent of the aggressor. Believe us, we know from our experience that any dependence on an aggressor is a vulnerability. It weakens Europe. Consistent further diversification of energy resources is needed to increase Europe's energy security. Increasing energy imports from the United States can become a bridge to the turbulent transatlantic relationship. This is in the interest of Europe and the US.

Dear colleagues, Russia spends 9% of its GDP or 41% of its budget on war this year. Today, European countries are lagging far behind, so we must commit to spending at least 3.5% of each country's GDP on defence. We urgently need to strengthen Ukraine’s defence capabilities. This is in the interest of all European countries, as the security of Europe's future in Ukraine is crucial. We must continue to support Ukraine militarily by all possible means. A decision on the use of Russian frozen assets for the armament and reconstruction of Ukraine is therefore urgently needed. Half time for events and compromises has come to an end. Europe must act quickly, united and decisively. Let's tell Putin to pay for the crime of aggression and poured out blood of the Ukrainian people.

Dear Chair, Dear colleagues, “Not allowed to give in.” This message has been left by Alexei Navalny to the Russian opposition after his death. He knew that the barbarism of repression would increase. Navalny wasn't wrong. The Kremlin provides its power with an ambition worthy of Orwell's dystopia. The number of political prisoners is growing. Also, Navalny's lawyers and associates of the foundation have already been imprisoned in strict regime colonies. For the time being, Putin, unlike Stalin, is not yet using judicial power to execute opponents. He solves this more discreetly - by poisoning the opponents, blowing them up or throwing them out of the window. The Russian opposition has been weakened to a critical level. It is therefore Europe's duty to support civil society activists in Russia and also the opposition operating outside it. Political repression provides Putin with a policy of expansion and hybrid operations against neighbouring countries. He is determined to continue the war of aggression in Ukraine. The Kremlin intervened intensively in the elections of Georgia, Moldova and European countries. European critical infrastructure is regularly attacked. The Kremlin's influence agents are bribed in the European institutions. Russia is and will be the biggest threat to European security. Europe must finally realise that Ukraine's victory is a matter for European security and the future. Our support for Ukraine is not enough, either in terms of sanctions or weapons, to win the war. The countries of the European Union and NATO must support Ukraine more quickly and decisively. Victory in the war will limit Russia's military capabilities. Ukraine's victory will be the tomb bell of Putin's regime and, hopefully, the beginning of Russian normalization, not a mess.

Dear Chair, Dear colleagues, Russia has been continuing the war in Ukraine for three years. There are no signs that Putin is ready to end the war. No, he is determined to destroy the Ukrainian state and disrupt the European security system. Putin knows that the support of the European Union and the United States for Ukraine is not enough to win. We have not done so much, either in terms of sanctions or support, that Putin understands that he will lose the war and is forced to sit down at the negotiating table. Even if the fighting stops in the near future, we will have to arm Ukraine and further develop its weapons production capabilities. We must ensure that Russia does not resume its aggression. This will mean major investments in Ukraine and also in strengthening the eastern flank of the European Union. We must not accept Russian ultimatum or absurd territorial requirements. Our demand is strong security guarantees for Ukraine and Russia's deterrence capacity. No one will do that for us.

Mr President, dear colleagues, In the last year, we have witnessed targeted attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. They undermine our communications and energy systems, and threaten $10 trillion worth of financial transactions every day. The investigation process is marked by the involvement of Russian and Chinese vessels. The protection of our infrastructure is essential, which is why NATO has launched the enhanced surveillance mission Baltic Sentry. But that is not enough. Great Britain has sanctioned - 110, USA - more than 200 shadow fleet vessels. We're lagging behind with 79 ships. Colleagues, these ships not only threaten the security of our underwater infrastructure and marine environment through hostile actions, but also earn billions for Russia and prolong the war in Ukraine. The European Union must step up its action against the shadow fleet. We need to act quickly and decisively.

Dear Chair, Colleagues! It has been 20 years since the countries that suffered from the Communist regime imposed by the USSR joined the European Union, but the understanding of the history of Europe in the 20th century is still unified. Unbelievable, but events are taking place in the European Parliament using the symbols of the communist regime. I can imagine what a creep would be if a poster with a Swastic and a portrait of Hitler appeared in our corridors. But Lenin with a sickle and a hammer, it turns out, is the inner thing of the left group. This is totally unacceptable. We must ban the symbolism of the two totalitarian regimes in Europe. The most tragic proof of the fact that historical facts should not be manipulated is Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. I would like to remind you that 3,954 days or more than 10 years have passed since the beginning of the war. Russia's aggressive revanchism can only be brought to an end by its defeat in the unjust war against Ukraine. The US Congress has just adopted Crucial Communism Teaching Act. It aims to build societal resilience against hostile ideologies and promote research. Unfortunately, Europe still has a long way to go to deepen its understanding of the complex history of the 20th century. The anti-humanist ideology of communism must be taught at school, it must be studied more intensively in order to build immunity against the manipulation of historical facts.

Dear Chair, Dear colleagues, What happened in the presidential elections in Romania is no surprise. In its previous mandate, the INGE Committee’s reports warned against such a scenario. Putin's candidate victory was achieved through direct interference by the aggressor state in the elections, injecting millions of dollars into the campaign to fund influencers, manipulating the algorithms of social media platforms and falsifying accounts. Let's not be naïve! The first attempt was in Moldova, where this scenario did not work. However, the Kremlin will improve this and repeat it in every future election in a country of the European Union. We must seriously prepare for such attacks, consistently hold e-platforms, including TikTok, accountable for the illegal funding of political campaigns. The Digital Service Act provides for fines, but for the time being, those who engage in these illegal activities are not sanctioned. This is a loophole in the law that needs to be rectified. It is equally important to neutralise the root of the evil, so we must persevere in weakening the Kremlin, both by supporting Ukraine and by imposing suffocating economic sanctions on it until Putin's regime collapses. Democracy is not self-evident, it is our duty to protect it from hostile attacks.

Madam President, thank you very much. Dear colleagues, 600 shadow fleet tankers export 70% of Russian oil, injecting 12 billion dollars into the war budget every month. The shadow fleet has doubled this year. These tankers are uninsured and their personnel are poorly trained. They are dangerously worn out, as the average age of ships is 20 years. In fact, these are ecological time bombs that threaten the world's waters with oil spills. For Latvia and the other Baltic Sea countries, Russia's shadow fleet is a direct hybrid threat. Sanctions against shipowners, who often change in the same way as their home countries, work poorly. However, each ship has a registration number. Already the first dozen ships listed by the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom show that the amount of oil transported is decreasing. So far, the European Union has sanctioned 27 vessels. This is not enough, hundreds of vessels of the shadow fleet should be included in the lists. Allies must put more pressure on international facilitators of Putin's war, countries and companies that are enriched as intermediaries when exporting dual-use goods to Russia. Without significantly reducing the Kremlin's chances of continuing the war, we are pushing back Ukraine's victory.

Mr President, Commissioner, Dear colleagues, What else can be said about the army of the Russian fascist regime? Is there any cruel crime that Putin's war crowds would not have committed against prisoners of war? The daily practice is to imprison prisoners with criminals, starve masses, prevent communication with loved ones. But there are more horrific crimes. You can cut the prisoner's head off and boast of it in social networks. Or burn live soldiers of the Azov unit. You can strip naked prisoners of war and shoot, rape, torture and kill. If Putin believes that it will be able to intimidate Ukrainians, then in vain. We know how brave the Ukrainian people are. The systematic killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian troops is a war crime and a demonstrative violation of international law. We know bends, their commanders and regime propagandists who glorify and encourage these atrocities. They will all have to stand trial. Ukraine must win. We therefore call for the lifting of restrictions preventing Ukrainians from using long-range radius missiles to destroy military objects on Russian territory. Russia must be defeated so that its imperialism does not threaten our future.

Mr President, Colleagues! The upcoming presidential elections and referendum on EU membership on 20 October are a crucial milestone in Moldova's European integration. Russia is therefore targeting Moldova’s mafia-style campaign of voter bribery, massive disinformation and attempted destabilisation of society. In the last month alone, Russia has injected more than 15 million dollars into the bank accounts of 130,000 Moldovan citizens. In parallel, cyber-attacks on vital national systems are taking place. The campaign is an unconcealed attack on Moldova's democracy and state institutions. In fact, it is an attack on Moldova's European future. Moldova therefore has the right to defend itself both by closing propaganda outlets and by preventing candidates from illegally funded parties from competing in the presidential elections. In the time remaining before the referendum, the EU must step up all assistance to Moldova in the fight against hybrid threats, cyber-attacks and disinformation. We have a range of instruments at our disposal for this: the European Peace Facility, the reinforcement of sanctions, as well as the cooperation programmes of the Partnership Mission. Moldova’s place is in the European Union. History will not forgive us if we are not able to stop the malicious activities and hybrid operations of Russia and its local assistants.

Dear Chair, Dear colleagues, The Belarusian regime is a co-aggressor of Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. With the permission of Lukashenka, Russian troops are using the territory of Belarus for missile launches, ground attacks and logistics. With the blessing of Belarusian customs, Russia is supplied with sanctioned European goods. Just as Putin Lukashenka arbitrarily arrests and imprisons political opponents, suppresses any manifestations of civic protest and freedoms, and persecutes the free press. More than 1,400 political prisoners are smiling in the prisons of the dictator. Many are deprived of communication with family members, are exposed to isolation, violence and torture, do not receive adequate medical assistance. The European Parliament demands the immediate admission of the Red Cross to political prisoners, especially Maria Kalesnikava and Andrzej Pachobut, whose state of health is critical. The European Union and its Member States need to expand and strengthen sanctions against those responsible for and complicit in the regime’s repression of its people, as well as those responsible for directly supporting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in Belarus. All financial and economic sanctions against Russia must also target Belarus. Like Russia, Belarus deserves political and diplomatic isolation. Finally, I call on the international community to remember, in the next round of talks with the Kremlin on the exchange of Western and Russian political prisoners against Putin's murderers and spies, that freedom fighters in Belarusian prisons, who deserve to be released, are also smiling.

Dear Chair, Dear colleagues, Destroyers and drones are airborne from distant Russian landfills every day. The Kremlin is sending them to Ukraine to undermine energy infrastructure and kill citizens there. We know that Ukrainians are waiting for the second winter without heat and light. But we are not doing enough to prevent drone and missile strikes. Ukrainians are forced to fight with a hand tied on their backs, as they are still not allowed to use long-range shells supplied by allies to destroy airfields and bombers while they are on the ground in Russia. I am saddened by the fact that the leaders of the allied countries base their ban on fear of escalation. Putin really has to be glad that his threatening bluffs find hearing ears in Washington and elsewhere. Is it really necessary to explain from this tribune over and over again that, hesitating to give permission to destroy military objects in Russia, we play Putin's game. Meanwhile, the Russian military industry works 24 hours without interruption and employs millions. Our hesitation is not a strategy of victory. The strategy for victory is to act decisively and boldly. Just like the heroic Ukrainian people do.