Chair of the Committee on Ukraine's integration into the EU took part in a meeting with the members of the European Parliament

During a meeting with MEPs in Lviv Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze thanked her European colleagues for their support. She noted that Ukraine sincerely appreciates the fact that its friends came directly to Ukraine during this difficult time. She highlighted the crucial areas that need to be worked on together urgently.

Firstly, weapons to Ukraine: from jet fighters and air defence to ammunition for soldiers and territorial defence. “People are ready to stop the tanks of the occupiers with their bare hands! We need weapons to protect ourselves and our land!”

Secondly, Ukraine constantly hears excuses and arguments that the sky cannot be closed. “Why not to provide Ukraine with planes then? What other "arguments" does the world expect from Putin? Thousands of peaceful, innocent lives, women, mothers, children, the elderly… Now the mad terrorist is threatening to use the biological and nuclear weapons”. The Chair of the Committee called to stop him in Ukraine. Otherwise, he'll move on to other territories.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze once again stressed the need to strengthen the sanctions. According to Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze only 15% of Russian banks are currently disconnected from SWIFT. But this number does not include such giants as Sberbank, and the banks that service Gazprom. “As long as at least one of the Russian banks remains connected to SWIFT, the sanctions are ineffective”, the Chair of the Committee said. She also believes that personal sanctions are needed not only against the Kremlin leadership and the oligarchs, but also against their families: “Their wives and children enjoy luxurious life in a peaceful Europe, while our women and children are dying under the Russian bombs and go thousands of kilometres to escape the war”.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze called to stop oil and gas imports from Russia. Otherwise, those who buy Russian oil mixed with Ukrainian blood will be complicit in the crimes against humanity that Russia is currently committing in Ukraine.

With regard to humanitarian aid, according to the Chair of the Committee, it is now important to establish humanitarian corridors through which the aid to the besieged cities will be delivered. She asked European partners to work with the international organizations that have not yet come to Ukraine and have not completed this task.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze stated that Ukraine urgently needs a clear response to its application for the EU membership. Each minute Ukraine is fighting for the values that Europe declares. The Ukrainians deserve to be full members of the European family, the Chairman of the Committee said.

She called on her colleagues in the European Parliament to work with the European Commission and its governments to give Ukraine a quick track to join the EU.