MEP Fidias Panayiotou to visit Russia, criticizes EU's inconsistent stance on Ukraine and Palestine

According to the news from Cyprus Mail, Member of the European parliament Fidias Panayiotou on Wednesday announced that he is to visit Russia “in a few days”.

He made the announcement during a European parliament debate titled “European Union support for a just, sustainable, and comprehensive peace in Ukraine”, and had begun his intervention with a scathing attack on what he described as a lack of consistency on the EU’s part over conflicts in Ukraine and in the Middle East.

“The moral compass of the EU is completely broken. Since 2022, the EU has sent €138 billion to Ukraine in military and humanitarian aid. We have cut diplomatic ties with Russia and imposed the biggest amount of sanctions in history – a quite clear and powerful response. On the other hand, when it comes to Palestine, our stance is completely different,” he said.

“The Israeli government is conducting a brutal genocide, and people are even starving to death, due to the blockade of the last two months. Despite all of this, the EU maintains normal relations with Israel, no big sanctions, no cutting diplomatic ties.”

He added that many EU leaders, including Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, have met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent months, but that “none of you would even consider meeting and just talking with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin”.

“So, let me ask you, where is our moral consistency?”, he asked.

His intervention was met with a stern response by German MEP Moritz Korner, who belongs to the FDP. The FDP is a part of Renew Europe, the same European grouping as Cyprus’ Dipa.

“I want to ask you have you been to Ukraine once? Have you visited? Have you seen what’s happening there?” Korner responded.

“What you do here, and with the massive media outreach you have, especially for young people in Europe, I think it would be your responsibility also to look at what is happening there, not doing whataboutism, what you did right now with this speech.”

He added that Panayiotou must “talk about Ukrainians, see what’s happening there, and then talk again with us about what is happening there”.

Panayiotou responded that he has been to Ukraine, before announcing his forthcoming trip to Russia.

The aim of his trip to Russia, he said, “is to show that we need to talk and solve this problem”.

“Ukrainians are dying. We need to start diplomacy. This is what we need to do. It doesn’t cost a lot. We are trying to rearm Europe with €800bn, and talking is free. This is what we should do, I think,” he said.

The European parliament approved a “white paper on the future of European defence” in March, with the white paper endorsing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s “ReArm Europe” plan, which could see €800 billion spent on building up the continent’s military capabilities.

Four of Cyprus’ six MEPs voted in favour of the white paper, with Disy’s Loucas Fourlas and Michalis Hadjipantela, Diko’s Costas Mavrides, and Elam’s Geadis Geadi voting in its favour, while Akel’s Giorgos Georgiou and Panayiotou voted against.

In total, the white paper received 419 votes in its favour and 204 against, with 46 abstentions.