The EU does not Intend to Recognize Russia’s Sovereignty over Crimea

The Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian Peninsula is a challenge to international security, with grave implications for the international legal order, said Federica Mogherini. Five years after Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian Peninsula of Crimea, the European Union remains committed to “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”. The annexation of Crimea is a “direct challenge to international security» and “it grave implications for the international legal order”, said EU high representative for foreign policy and security Federica Mogherini on March 17. Kyiv and the vast majority of the world’s countries do not recognize the annexation of Ukrainian territory. The EU highlighted the significant deterioration of the human rights situation in Crimea. Residents of the Peninsula face “systematic restrictions” of a number of fundamental freedoms, the document says. In addition, in violation of international humanitarian law, Crimeans are “forced to take Russian citizenship and serve in the armed forces” of Russia, the statement said. Mogherini stressed that international human rights monitors and nongovernmental human rights organizations must have “unimpeded access” to Crimea. Sanctions against Russia In March 2014, after the annexation of the Ukrainian Peninsula, the United States, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and Canada introduced the first package of sanctions against Russia. These measures included the freezing of assets and the introduction of visa restrictions for persons included in the sanctions lists (there are lists of the U.S. and the EU), as well as a ban on companies of the countries that imposed sanctions, to maintain business relations with individuals and organizations under these sanctions. The expansion of restrictive measures in April-May of the same year was associated with escalation in Eastern Ukraine. Russia was accused of actions aimed at undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine, in particular the supply of weapons to Pro-Russian separatists. The next round of sanctions was associated with the Boeing 777 crash in the Donetsk region on July 17, 2014, which, according to the leadership of a number of States, was caused by the actions of rebels supported by Russia. In March 2019, the European Union imposed sanctions on eight Russian citizens involved in the conflict near the Kerch Strait and the detention of Ukrainian Navy servicemen at the end of 2018. Later, the United States also imposed restrictive measures against six Russians and eight organizations in connection with “Moscow’s continued aggression against Ukraine”. Following the EU and the U.S., Canada announced the expansion of the sanctions list. Source: DW