During the European Committee of the Regions debate on Ukraine with Ms Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms and Mr Janez Lenarcic, Commissioner for Crisis Management. The Mayors of Kiev, Mariupol, Melitopol and Kharkiv district council gave a shocking overview of the horrific destruction and loss of life caused by the war in Ukraine. The EA Members expressed their strong condemnation of the Russian Federation as well as their solidarity with Ukraine.
Mr Markauskas, Mayor of Klaipeda District in Lithuania expressed his country's solidarity with Ukraine and strongly advocated for unity and solidarity in actions to help Ukraine and the refugees. Mr Markauskas said that the threat has been posed by the Russian Federation since 2014, a threat felt by the Baltic states for a long time. Mr Markauskas called on the EU countries to heed the warnings and concerns coming from the countries close to Russia.
Mr József Kobór, Councilor of Pecs City in Hungary strongly condemned the war. He called for an immediate ceasefire which should be internationally monitored. As the nuclear researcher, he expressed his support to his colleagues in Chornobyl and other power plants who have been working now in dire conditions. He also added: "Let me say very clearly that we need to condemn and stop Russian and all kinds of propaganda and hate speech, which fuels the conflict and assists the perpetrators of war crimes; for too long democracies have been subjected to fake news and we need to have honest and independent news for the future of the EU.
The sensitive situation of Ukrainian people fleeing the war and seeking refuge in European countries was also stressed by Mr Lech, Mayor of Korycin when he highlighted that in Poland the situation in Ukraine is being followed with a lot of emotion. His swift solution to help Ukraine appreciated a total disruption of the economic ties with Russia. Mr Lech said: " We have to stand together and maintain the sanctions as Russia is also waging an economic war on us using natural resources". Mr Lech expects solidarity and further action to be done within the Round Table initiative to be organized in Poland (8-9 May) and bringing together the national administrations with NGOs.
