Ukraine Protests against Putin’s Visit to Occupied Crimea

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has made a declaration in connection with upcoming 20 July visit of Russian President V. Putin to the part of Ukraine that is temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation territory of Ukraine – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, a visit that is not being coordinated with Ukrainian officials.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine repeatedly stresses and continues to adhere to the principled stance on the unacceptability of visits that are not coordinated by Ukrainian officials when they fall within the territory of Ukraine and its internationally recognised borders, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.

The Ukrainian side considers the mentioned visit and other trips of Russian officials to the Russian-occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, which are carried out despite repeated warnings and protests of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, a crude violation of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, a cynical neglect of international law, UN General Assembly resolutions A / Res / 68/262 of 27 March  2014 “Territorial integrity of Ukraine;” A / Res / 71/205 of 19 December 2016, A / Res / 72/190 of 19 December 2017; A / Res / 73/263 of 22 December 2018; A / Res / 74/168 of 18 December 2019  “The situation with human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, Ukraine;” A / Res / 73/194 of 17 December 2018 and A / Res / 74/17 of 9 December 2019 “The problem of militarisation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol – city, Ukraine, and the Black and Azov Seas;” the Baku Declaration of the Parliamentary Assembly OSCE (2014) and other resolutions of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

Ukraine, once again, denounces the measures taken by the Russian Federation for the further militarisation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, which threaten regional security.

In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demands that the Russian side immediately stop all the above internationally illegal acts and eliminate all the consequences they have caused.

The Ukrainian side draws attention that, according to the international law, the liability for the negative consequences for the whole region remains on the Russian Federation as the occupying power, its officials, illegal “Crimean authorities” and their representatives who make illegal decisions and commit unlawful acts.

In connection with this illegal visit on 20 July 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine issued a strong protest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Natalia Tolub