5 Mar 2025

Greens United for Peace and Security in Ukraine and Europe

European Greens statement on Ukraine and European defence – 5 March 2025

Now more than ever, Europe must stand united. Three years on from Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europe must do its utmost to support the Ukrainian struggle for freedom, self-determination and a just and lasting peace. As the Trump administration turns its back on its allies, now it is the time for the EU to step up its integration including by deepening defence and security cooperation.

Ahead of the Special European Council, the European Greens reaffirm their steadfast support for Ukraine. Russia’s war of aggression is not only an attack on Ukraine and its people but the entire European and global security order, running contrary to all principles of international law and justice.

The shameful treatment of President Zelenskyy in Washington was a new low. Coercion and disunity only play into Putin’s hands.

Europe must stand in full solidarity with Ukraine. We call on the EU and its member states to increase efforts to shift the trajectory of Russia’s war and set the conditions for a just and lasting peace. We reject any attempt at a “peace deal” negotiated over the head of Ukraine which must be at the centre of any talks. Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. Nothing about Europe without Europe.

Europe must now take real responsibility for European security and defence, alongside partners such as the United Kingdom and Canada, and we welcome the lead taken by the United Kingdom to provide additional support to Ukraine in recent days. The transatlantic relationship is more precarious than ever: Greenland has been threatened with annexation, Ukraine has been sidelined from talks about its own future, and the shared democratic values that underpin the transatlantic relationship put into question. Meanwhile, Russia poses a constant military and security threat to Europe, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltics, and Moldova.

For this reason, European countries must work together to strengthen their defence capabilities without delay. In the immediate term, EU countries should pool their defence investments to deliver additional support to Ukraine and expand Europe’s conventional capabilities. Now is also the time to fully seize the Russian frozen assets to further boost Ukraine’s defence. Pooling of national defence budgets and joint European borrowing for defence projects should follow.

At the same time, European countries must remember that we already outspend Russia, but our inefficient defence spending comes at a high price in security terms. Deepening cooperation with joint procurement, shared military capabilities, and the development of European defence industrial capacity is essential. Joint procurement, interoperability and harmonisation of standards can produce significant cost savings.

Joint action on defence, suspension of the overly rigid fiscal rules, and joint borrowing are not only essential for defence but also for sustainable investment in the green and just transition, a security matter whose importance cannot be overstated. Without the revenue and leverage provided by European dependence on Russian fossil fuels, Putin could not have waged his illegal war against Ukraine. Accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels is therefore a geopolitical imperative. With critical raw materials increasingly treated like bargaining chips, we reject this transactional approach and see equity and sovereignty, including when it comes to natural resources, as fundamental to lasting peace and security.

Increased defence spending means major efforts within European societies. It will need to be paid for. In times of growing inequality with antidemocratic forces on the rise, military security bought at the cost of social security is no security at all. As an alternative to a world dominated by strong men and their oligarch backers, Europe must build a new social contract that encompasses progressive taxation on the super-rich and fossil fuel companies, and a concept of security that keeps people and their daily needs at the centre.

We live in an age of crises and the European Union and its member states are not adequately prepared or resilient. Russian hybrid attacks in the EU are a constant reality, from the sabotage of critical physical infrastructure to election interference and cyberattacks. We welcome the Niinistö report on civilian and military preparedness and readiness and call on the EU to deliver on its recommendations across civilian and military aspects. The EU must be able to coordinate effectively and pool resources in moments of crisis, including acts of aggression against EU member states but also increasingly common extreme weather events.

Coordination in a crisis demands effective decision-making. National vetoes on foreign and security policy mean that the European Union cannot speak with one voice and they must be abolished. Treaty change is required to introduce qualified majority voting for foreign and security policy while providing safeguards for smaller member states to have an equal voice at the common table. A strong, united European Union is in everyone’s interest.

In these challenging times, Europe must recall what it is and what it stands for. The European Union is a peace project built on integration and the shared values of freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and human rights. It is because of these values that the believers in “might is right” attack the European Union. For Ukraine and for the security of Europe as a whole, European leaders must stand united to protect them.

Vula Tsetsi & Ciarán Cuffe, Co-Chairs, European Green Party

Terry Reintke & Bas Eickhout, Co-Presidents, Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament

Partia e Gjelbër, Albania, Keida Ushtelenca and Indrit Abdiaj

Die Grünen – Die Grüne Alternative, Austria, Werner Kogler

Ecolo, Belgium, Marie Lecocq and Samuel Cogolati

Groen, Belgium, Bart Dhont

Možemo! – politička platforma, Croatia, Sandra Benčić

Strana zelených, Czech Republic, Gabriela Svárovská and Matěj Pomahač

SF - Green Left, Denmark, Pia Olsen-Dyhr

Eestimaa Rohelised, Estonia, Evelyn Sepp

Vihreät - De Gröna, Finland, Sofia Virta

Hållbart Initiativ, Finland, Erica Scott and Alfons Röblom