EU splits as rift emerges in Brussels over 'fan club' supporting Putin's Russia

It is anticipated that political groups of the European Parliament will vote against a resolution on the war in Ukraine today.

Amid continued attacks by Russian military forces, the European Parliament will convene this afternoon and MEPs will gather to vote on a new resolution.

This, according to Politico, will “condemn in the strongest possible terms the illegal, unprovoked and unjustified military aggression by the Russian Federation against and invasion of Ukraine".

‘Identity and Democracy’ the umbrella group for MEPs from Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, Italy’s League and Germany’s AfD, among others have been dubbed the "Moscow fan club" as it is expected they will not support the resolution.

This opposes the general consensus of the EU's mainstream parties causing a split within the bloc and ensuring universal support is not guaranteed.

MEP from Estonia Jaak Madison said in a recent Plenary session: “The EU’s obsession with spreading EU values and democracy around the world amounts to nothing less than neo-colonialism."

This was shared by the Identity and Democracy Group across their social media during Monday’s missile attack on Kharkiv, for which Putin has now been accused of committing war crimes.

The resolution also highlights “the need for Member States to acknowledge and accept that severe sanctions against the Russian Federation will unavoidably entail negative effects on their economic situation".

The European Parliament session comes after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Ukraine is "one of us and we want them in the European Union".

Since Russia's invasion started last Thursday, countries around the world have widely condemned leader Vladimir Putin's actions by imposing an unprecedented array of sanctions.

The US, EU and UK have predominantly targeted its finance, energy and military-industrial sectors as well as individuals and sporting events.

Sanctions have also been aimed at freezing the assets of Putin and his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, in response to their continued military advance.