Statement by the Chair of the European Parliament Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee, MEP Witold Jan Waszczykowski
on the recognition of the non-government controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine as independent entities
Brussels, 22 February 2022 - "On February 21, during his bizarre address, Vladimir Putin announced Russia's recognition of the so-called people's republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. Shortly after, Russian tanks entered the Eastern region of Ukraine commonly known as the Donbas. The region had long been controlled by Moscow and its proxies. Since 2014, over 700 thousand Russian passports have been distributed among a portion of the Donbas' population in preparation for - what is clear today - further aggression.
The most recent escalation has been in the works for weeks, if not months. During this time, many Western leaders made it clear that actions such as this one would be followed by severe sanctions. Taking over sovereign territory of a neighboring state, with the use of extensive military force, is not a "small incursion." Rather, it is a disregard of the international law, the rules-based international order and Russia's very own international obligations, including those enshrined in the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, the Minsk Agreements and the Budapest Memorandum of 1994.
In the face of Putin's continued aggression and his insatiable imperialist and revanchist appetite, the time for the most severe sanctions the free world can impose on his regime has come. The autocrat ignored numerous attempts of mediation, biding his time, building up his military strength and inspiring divisions within the EU and NATO. Our appeals for peace, our constant declarations of unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity will be nothing more but empty words if not followed by decisive actions. [...]"
Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP