After Zelenskyy’s speech, the leaders of the European Parliament’s political groups took the floor for the debate.
Almost all of them have thanked Ukrainian President for his words and expressed their support for the war-torn country and concluded their speeches with the “Slava Ukraini” (Glory to Ukraine) motto.
European People’s Party MEP Michael Gahler, replacing the group’s chair Manfred Weber, attacked Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Slovakia’s Robert Fico for their attitude to Ukraine.
“Your disgraceful attitude will go down in European history books, labelling you as quislings even without occupation”, he says, referring to the two countries’ opposition to a new package of sanctions for Russia and their dispute with Ukraine for the flows of Russian gas. “The traitors are with Moscow. We are with you, Ukraine”, he said.
Socialists and Democrats’ Iratxe García Pérez, Renew Europe’s Valérie Hayer and Greens/EFA’s Terry Reintke also accused Orbán of playing into Russia’s hands.
“He has become Putin’s cheap servant. He has not only betrayed Ukraine, he has betrayed all of us,” Reintke said.
Even European Conservatives and Reformists co-leader Nicola Procaccini fired a shot at Orbán, albeit in a veiled way.
“History will pay homage to Ukrainian patriots, while it will provide contempt to whoever is turning their backs to Ukraine, to the freedom, the sense of honour,” he said.
French MEP Jordan Bardella, leader of the far-right Patriots for Europe, praised Ukraine’s resistance and criticised Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression. He claimed the need to “support Ukraine without permanently weakening our own nations”, and linked the boost to European defence to the crisis affecting French farmers, which some of his colleagues did not appreciate.
The only discordant voice in today’s debate emerged from the far-right Europe of Sovereign Nations. Slovak MEP Milan Uhrík said: “We are against the continuation of the support of Ukraine. We do not want to send any more money, any more weapons there and listen to any more propaganda.”
His speech was met with boos and shouts from the rest of the lawmakers.
