Malta’s youngest-ever parliamentarian on Wednesday branded Russian president Vladimir Putin a "war criminal" and called on the Maltese government to stop importing energy from Russia.

Speaking during her maiden speech in parliament, the 19-year-old Nationalist MP said Putin is committing "barbaric atrocities in Ukraine". 

“Putin is a war criminal. Russia is involved in a war that has been declared illegal,” she said. 

Her speech comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Malta’s parliament and urged Malta to “stop the privileges of Russian people”. 

He urged the EU to embargo Russian oil and oil products and acknowledged the sensitivity of that topic, noting that “Maltese-flagged vessels are used to transport Russian oil”.

“We must stop the importation of energy from Russia. If we want a peaceful world for future generations, we must start producing cleaner and more sustainable energy and move away from Russian oil,” Borg Bonello insisted. 

The ban on Russian oil and further investment in renewable energy will help the nation become climate-neutral, Borg Bonello, who is the opposition's climate change spokesperson, said.

She added: “We cannot let the blood of Ukrainians be spilled by Russian weapons funded through the sale of dirty energy.”

In line with its neutrality, Borg Bonello said, Malta cannot have anything to do with Russia.