The European People’s Party strongly condemns Russia's ongoing full-scale war of aggression  against Ukraine, which has now lasted for over 1,000 days since its launch on February 24, 2022. This invasion, driven by a unilateral decision from President Putin of the Russian Federation, is brutal, unjust, and completely unprovoked. It represents a flagrant violation of international law and the global rules-based order. For more than a thousand days, the Russian Federation has continued to destroy peaceful cities and critical civilian infrastructure through heavy artillery shelling, rocket attacks, and bombings. This has resulted in the deaths of thousands civilians, the reduction of entire settlements into rubble, and widespread human rights violations in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. We emphasize the responsibility of the Russian Federation, which, through its brutal actions against Ukraine, is exacerbating global challenges. These include threats to strategic stability, nuclear security, economic development, financial predictability, global energy and food security, the environment, climate change, public health, and the broader advancement of information and technological development. We reiterate our firm conviction that Russia must provide financial compensation for the massive damage it has caused in Ukraine. We underline that the EU and its Member States have contributed more than EUR 100 billion in financial, humanitarian, refugee and military assistance to Ukraine; and we encourage all Member States to increase their funding for Ukraine and refrain from decreasing their contributions; We deeply admire and fully support Ukraine's fight, both now and in the future. Ukraine's struggle is not only for the preservation of its statehood, sovereignty, independence, and freedom, but also for the respect of international law, the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, and the right of countries to live and thrive. It is a fight against tyranny, the imperial ambitions of aggressors, and the authoritarianism of dictators. We continue to warn against the Russian Federation's violation of universally recognized principles of nuclear and radiation safety and strongly condemn any actions by Russia, including drone attacks near the sites of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and other Ukrainian nuclear facilities. These actions create additional risks to the safe operation of Ukraine’s peaceful nuclear facilities and could lead to catastrophic consequences not only for Ukraine, but for the entire European continent and the world. We condemn in the strongest possible terms North Korea’s transfer of weapons to Russia and deployment of 10-11 thousand of soldiers on the front fighting against Ukraine. We remain firmly committed to continuously strengthening Europe's bold and comprehensive support for Ukraine, without limits and for as long as it takes to achieve victory against Russia. Our aim is not only to hold Russia accountable on the international stage but also to ensure the full reconstruction of Ukraine, transforming it into a prosperous country — a future member of both the European Union and NATO. Therefore, the EPP calls: — for the immediate and complete withdrawal of Russian armed forces and military assets from the sovereign territory of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders, without preconditions or further escalation on the ground; — for strengthening European and Euro-Atlantic unity and solidarity with Ukraine and its brave people in our shared historical mission towards a just, rules-based international order, the victory of Ukraine, and the safeguarding of its sovereignty, independence, and freedom, as well as peace, security, and stability in Europe and the world; — for increased support for Ukraine and greater pressure on the Russian Federation as an aggressor state, using all available military, political, diplomatic, and economic tools to halt its violations of universally recognized principles and norms of international law; this includes compelling Russia to fulfill the demands of the international community, particularly the de-occupation of Ukrainian territory and the restoration of Ukraine's state sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders; — for accelerating the provision of air defense systems to Ukraine in order to deter Russian terror and for increasing investments in Ukraine's defense industry, while exploring the potential use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s defense needs; — for coordinated efforts to lift restrictions on the use of long-range Western-made weapons by Ukraine, and, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, for granting Ukraine the right to target legitimate military sites within Russian territory that are used to strike Ukrainian military positions, civilians, and critical infrastructure; — for strengthening cooperation in advanced technologies and innovations, enabling the scaling up of Ukrainian developments by integrating them into European defense infrastructure; we call for Ukraine's partners to fully leverage Ukraine's combat experience to enhance and improve their own defense systems; — for increasing financial assistance to Ukraine to ensure macro-financial stability and maintain the capacity to fund priority expenditures; we also support the creation of mechanisms to attract foreign financial support for the reconstruction of Ukraine's economy, in line with international assessments of the damage and the country’s recovery needs; — for strengthening sanctions, eliminating existing loopholes, particularly against the Russian Federation's energy sector, including Rosatom, its affiliated subsidiaries, and foreign companies, to further isolate the aggressor state economically; this includes developing mechanisms to prevent sanctions evasion, exploring the possibility of applying secondary sanctions; — for the European Union to set up a legal regime that will allow the confiscation of Russian sovereign assets in the EU — for coordinated efforts to enforce the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, with the goal of detaining and bringing the Russian dictator to international justice at the earliest opportunity; — for ensuring that Western military support to Ukraine exceeds 0.25% of Western GDP annually, and for the European Union to be ready to step in and cover Ukraine’s needs, thereby taking on greater responsibility in supporting Ukraine; — for steadfast support of Ukraine's integration into the EU and NATO, based on a merit-based approach that respects democratic principles and institutions, including a multi-party parliamentary system, political inclusiveness, the rights of the opposition, the rule of law, and media freedom; — for concrete steps towards Ukraine’s integration in EU defence and cybersecurity policies and programs during the EU accession process, underlining the importance of cooperation with the Ukrainian defence industry and its integration, in the long-term, into the EU’s defence technological and industrial base.