ALDE Group leader in the European Parliament, Guy Verhofstadt, has today criticized the lack of political consensus showed once more by European Council, which failed to provide an response to Putin’s military offensive in Syria.
„The response by EU leaders to Russian brutality is to keep their arms crossed in the hope that one day Putin’s troops will stop killing civilians in Aleppo. ”
„What I really expected from this EU summit was an enforcement mechanism, to make sure that UN Security Council resolutions and deals made on Syria are fully respected.”
„Sadly, it seems the European Parliament’s request for much needed enforcement measures were thrown into the bin by heads of state and government. Europe has surrendered any leverage it may have had to stop the massacre of innocent people in Aleppo.”
Guy Verhofstadt, has co-ordinated a cross party letter addressed to the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, urging him to initiate a decision on the activation of tougher sanctions against Russia during the EU summit, to put pressure on Moscow to respect international agreements. The letter has been co-signed by Manfred Weber, President of the EPP Group and Rebecca Harms, President of the Greens/EFA.
