European Parliament reprensentatives look back at one year of Russian agrression against Ukraine. David MCALLISTER, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) of the EP, talks about the very first thoughts he had when the aggression started. He also looks back at the work his AFET Committee has achieved since the beginning of the war, and what is left to be done to further support Ukraine.

EU - Ukraine (T)

Committee on Foreign Affairs

statement

troubles in Ukraine (T)

McALLISTER, David (EPP, DE)

solidarity with Ukraine (T)

Ukraine's application for EU membership (T)

consequences of the war in Ukraine (T)

One year of Russian Aggression against Ukraine: statement by David MCALLISTER, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET)

QUESTION: How did you learn about the Russian aggression against Ukraine? SOUNDBITE (English), David McALLISTER, Chair of AFET Committee: I think every one of us will know exactly where she or he was on the 24th of February 2022, in the morning when the world woke up to these dreadful news from Ukraine. I was flying back from Uzbekistan to Brussels. We were with the Foreign Affairs Committee on a trip to the Central Asian states. So I was already witnessing on TV what was going on, and I immediately thought "the world we knew will now change" because a fully fledged military invasion of one European country against another European country was something which I guess most of us all hoped would never, ever happen again.

QUESTION: What was you very first thought on that 24th of February 2022? SOUNDBITE (English), David McALLISTER, Chair of AFET Committee: We were all still hoping and praying that Mr. Putin wouldn't go this step. And my first reaction was, apart from being shocked, anger and fury, because this was so evidently an open aggression, totally unjustified.

QUESTION: Looking back at the past 12 months, how would estimate the role of your Committee? SOUNDBITE (English), David McALLISTER, Chair of AFET Committee: The Foreign Affairs Committee is the committee, the European Parliament, dealing with third countries. So we are the first committee which reaches out to Ukraine. We have organised a number of meetings and events in person meetings, but also video meetings together with our colleagues from the Ukraine delegation and our Subcommittee on Security and Defence. And we also have prepared policy documents where we as a European Parliament make clear what the way forward is in dealing with Ukraine and we will continue to do so.

QUESTION: What did we get wrong? SOUNDBITE (English), David McALLISTER, Chair of AFET Committee: I think we all have to admit in the Western world that we didn't take the speeches, the interviews of President Putin seriously enough. This man obviously believes in the concept of spheres of interest that all the territory, which used to be the Russian Empire until 1917 or the Soviet Union till 1991, 1992, is a Russian sphere of influence. It was President Putin who was responsible for the most aggressive violation of international law in Europe since 1945 with the illegal annexation of Crimea and also the occupation of parts of the Donetsk and Lugansk region. And that's why we should have been tougher on the Russian Federation already after 2014, and we should have provided more support already before the war actually broke out to Ukraine.

QUESTION: Which main actions should EP encourage to further support Ukraine? SOUNDBITE (English), David McALLISTER, Chair of AFET Committee: We will continue to give our support. Financial support. Economic support. Helping Ukraine to reconstruct the destroyed infrastructure, the humanitarian support which is so important, the millions of refugees who have left Ukraine. The European Parliament has encouraged the European Commission and the Member States to work towards starting the EU accession negotiations. It is remarkable and it is very impressive how the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian parliament are working on trying to match these conditions under t he severe situation of having to conduct a fully fledged war against the Russian aggression.