The 10th round of discussions between Ukraine and the European Union on the illegal occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol took place in Brussels
The 10th round of discussions between Ukraine and the European Union on the illegal occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol took place in Brussels.
The EU and Ukraine exchanged views on the consequences of the illegal occupation of the Crimean peninsula, including further restrictive measures introduced by the EU in response to Russia’s violation of international law. The Ukrainian side informed about the activities of the International Crimea Platform, in particular about the Second Summit held in Kyiv on August 23, 2022, as well as the First Parliamentary Summit organized in Zagreb on October 24-25, 2022. The EU reaffirmed its support for the implementation of the commitments set out in the Joint Declarations of the two Summits of the International Crimea Platform.
The Ukrainian side also spoke about the impact of the full-scale invasion on the occupied Crimea and emphasized the serious deterioration of the human rights situation on the peninsula: international organizations and human rights activists still do not have access to the occupied Crimea and its residents face increased persecution for expressing their views on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
The two sides also exchanged views on the security situation and the growing militarization of the peninsula, emphasizing that occupied Crimea is being used as a springboard for attacks on the rest of Ukraine’s sovereign territory.
The EU reiterated that it does not and will not recognize the illegal occupation of the Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation. The EU once again strongly condemns Russia’s attempts to illegally occupy other Ukrainian territories. Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Crimea, Luhansk, and Kherson are Ukraine.
The discussions were launched in 2015 to coordinate efforts and regularly exchange information on the implementation of the EU’s policy of non-recognition of the illegal occupation of the Crimean peninsula.
