German MEP Moritz Körner, a member of the liberal Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, has issued a sharp public rebuke to Cypriot MEP Fidias Panayiotou over his recent remarks on Ukraine and the EU’s resolution on abducted children.
Fidias had previously stated in a video: “If we truly cared about the children in war, we would try to stop this war peacefully, through diplomacy- not with weapons.”
In response, Körner wrote:
“Sounds nice, Fidias- but what kind of diplomacy do you mean, when Ukraine proposed a 30-day ceasefire and Russia rejected it? You can’t negotiate with someone who bombs kindergartens.”
He went on to reference another video posted by Fidias, in which the Cypriot MEP held up the European Parliament’s joint resolution on the return of children forcibly taken from Ukraine to Russia. Fidias had expressed doubts about the resolution, questioning the credibility of its sources- including a Ukrainian NGO and a Yale University study funded by the Biden administration.
Körner hit back:
“That study is based on satellite imagery, Russian documents and publicly available video footage. It led to international arrest warrants for Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children. What you said isn’t ‘balanced,’ it’s denial of reality.”
He added:
“This resolution isn’t about war, it’s about justice. When children are abducted from their homes, you don’t stay neutral. You take a stand.”
Fidias, if a resolution against child abductions is too “biased” for you – maybe you’re on the wrong side of the history. pic.twitter.com/hooREY9QvG
— Moritz Körner (@moritzkoerner) May 22, 2025
The exchange follows Fidias’s widely discussed clash with a British journalist earlier this week, in which he was also criticised for taking a pro-Russian stance.
Also read: Fidias accused of pushing pro-Russia line in Brussels
