Editor's Note: The following is a statement issued today by Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in protest of Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to annex Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and make it part of Russia.
Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its strong and utter protest against the recognition the self-proclaimed republic of Crimea as a part of the Russian Federation.
“Such actions of the Russian side do not meet the international obligations of the multilateral and bilateral agreements that guarantee the territorial integrity of Ukraine, inviolability of its borders and non-interference into the internal affairs of our country.
” The independence of Crimea was declared by illegitimate authority on the results of the anti-constitutional referendum, held with egregious violations of democratic standards that have been developed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europea and the Council of Europe and are the integral part of the principles and values of these international organizations.
“Having recognized the self-proclaimed republic of Crimea as “sovereign and independent state,” Russia therefore roughly violated its duties and obligations which Russia has a member of the above mentioned international organizations.
“Russia’s recognition of the self-proclaimed republic of Crimea has one single goal – to create illegal reasons for the annexation of this territory of Ukraine and its incorporation into the Russian Federation.
“However, the legal significance of this act under conditions of causeless Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and its military occupation of the Crimea is void. Contemporary international law does not recognize the forcible annexation of the state territory as a legitimate method of entry.
Ukraine and the entire civilized world will never recognize the independence of the illegitimately declared Crimea and its violent annex of the territory of our country.”
