Peace in Ukraine is sidelined; this Commission is fixated on militarisation, industrial profits, and power projection.
After 3 ½ years of war, Vice President Kaja Kallas continues to call for military escalation, arms production, and defence-industrial integration, rather than prioritising de-escalation and genuine dialogue. From the start, the Left has warned the truth that remains: Military solutions, the absence of real diplomacy, and this Commission have failed and will continue to fail to deliver peace. The ones to pay the prices? The people of Ukraine and the citizens of Europe.
While Trump has recently announced intentions to impose new sanctions on Russia, his credibility on the issue is questionable. Just a few months ago, he told President Zelensky that he was a “dictator without elections,” undermining the democratic legitimacy of Ukraine. At the same time, President von der Leyen’s approach to striking a deal with Washington is weakening rather than strengthening Europe’s sovereignty. Taken together, this underlines why Europe must assert its own leadership in addressing the crisis, instead of deferring to Trump’s inconsistent rhetoric or to arrangements that place Brussels under Washington’s shadow.
In Plenary, Left MEP Özlem Demirel (Die Linke, Germany) directs at Kaja Kallas: “If your are already saying, before even sitting at the negotiating table, that you want to deploy troops in Ukraine, Ms. Kallas, as you and Ms. von der Leyen have announced, that is simply untenable. That means you do not want peace. But the people of Europe stand for peace in Ukraine, in Europe, and worldwide.”
Peace is not on this Commission’s agenda. The Left remains the only voice in Parliament demanding an end to military escalation and the start of real negotiations to end this war.
