European Parliament Member Pushing for European Union to Safeguard Ukraine's Territorial Sovereignty
In Tallinn, Estonia, Urmas Paet, a Member of the European Parliament and vice-chair of the foreign affairs committee, has expressed his stance on the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Paet considers Ukraine's territorial integrity as the cornerstone of security and stability in the post-World War II era, and he strongly believes that aggression should not be rewarded or recognized, not just in Ukraine but anywhere else.
Paet's statements were made in relation to the ongoing conflict, which has seen Russia actively challenging Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. As of August 2025, Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity remain internationally recognized but are under threat, with Russia occupying parts of eastern Ukraine and Crimea that it annexed illegally in 2014 and since 2022.
The European Union (EU) strongly supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, consistently rejecting Russia's annexation claims and insisting Ukraine must not recognize these illegal occupations de jure. The EU aligns with Ukraine's position that no Ukrainian territory should be conceded to Russia, seeing such concessions as weakening Ukraine's defense and regional security. The EU also imposes sanctions on Russia for violating international law and supports Ukraine politically, economically, and militarily.
The failure of peace negotiations to produce a resolution, in part due to Russia's refusal to respect Ukraine’s sovereign rights and demands for territorial recognition, perpetuates instability in the region. Analysts emphasize that any Ukrainian withdrawal from occupied oblasts like Donetsk would degrade its defense capabilities, increase the civilian population under occupation, and would require strong international security guarantees and peacekeeping.
Regarding global security implications, the conflict directly challenges the modern rules-based international order established after World War II, which prohibits changing borders by force. The war tests international norms around sovereignty and territorial integrity heavily, signaling broader risks if such actions go unchecked. This threatens not only Europe’s security architecture but also the broader global system under the United Nations Charter.
In summary, Ukraine maintains de facto and de jure sovereignty recognized by the EU and most of the world, but Russia’s illegal occupation undermines this sovereignty. The EU firmly supports Ukraine's territorial integrity, rejects Russia’s annexations, and conditions peace on withdrawal and respect for Ukraine’s borders. The conflict represents a fundamental challenge to global security and international law, with implications for the post-World War II order preventing territorial conquest by military force. These dynamics underscore the precarious state of Ukraine’s sovereignty amidst ongoing conflict and the European and global stakes involved.
- Urmas Paet's statements on the ongoing conflict lie within the context of policy-and-legislation, specifically the EU's stance on Ukraine's territorial integrity, as he advocates against rewarding or recognizing aggression.
- The conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which involves war-and-conflicts and challenges the rules-based international order, has far-reaching implications in the realm of general-news, impacting not only Europe’s security architecture but also the broader global system under the United Nations Charter.
