European Parliament backs Ukraine's NATO membership 'immediately' after war ends

The European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on NATO allies to be ready to invite Ukraine to join the Alliance "as soon as possible" after the victory in the war.

425 MEPs voted for the resolution in the European Parliament, 38 were against and 42 abstained.

The resolution calls on NATO allies to fulfill their commitments to Ukraine and prepare the ground for inviting it to join the North Atlantic Alliance.

At the same time, the parliamentarians expect that "the accession process will start after the war is over and be finalized as soon as possible."

Until Ukraine becomes a full member of NATO, the European Union, its member countries and their NATO allies and partners "must work closely with Ukraine to develop a temporary framework for security guarantees" that should enter into force immediately after the end of the war, the resolution reads.

The European Parliament emphasizes that Ukraine's integration into both NATO and the EU will strengthen regional and global security and ties between Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic community.

Also today, the members of the European Parliament condemned the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP dam , calling it "another war crime committed by Russia."