Members of the European Parliament will debate further sanctions against Russia and the fate of Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia during a short plenary session in Brussels this week.

On Wednesday, MEPs will discuss with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas how the EU can help bring back Ukrainian children who were forcibly deported to Russia or are living in Russian-occupied territory. More than 20,500 children are estimated to have been unlawfully deported since Russia's full-scale invasion began, according to figures cited by the Council of the European Union.

On Thursday, MEPs will assess the need for further sanctions against Russia in response to its escalating attacks on Ukraine, and will vote on a resolution. The Socialists and Democrats group said it would again call for frozen Russian assets to be used to finance Ukraine's security and reconstruction needs.

The same session will also cover the protection of critical infrastructure and supply chains, after a series of cyberattacks against supermarket chains across Europe. MEPs will discuss with the Commission and the Irish Council Presidency how to strengthen the EU's cyber resilience. They will also quiz the Commission on its 2027 work programme, and debate the budget and structure of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism for 2028 to 2034, the EU's main tool for responding to disasters such as wildfires, floods and earthquakes.