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Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union

Submitted on 2022-02-24 16:00:35

Russian Foreign Ministry statement in connection with the unilateral restrictive measures imposed by the EU in response to the recognition by the Russian Federation of the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics

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The European Union has decided to support the illegitimate US practice of imposing unilateral restrictive measures on Russia. Instead of analysing what happened and critically re-evaluating their role in the situation in the DPR and LPR, the EU has resorted to the sanctions approach mistakenly believing that they are an effective way forward. Contrary to internationally accepted rules, the EU restrictions affect a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

As a reminder, the Western countries do not have a monopoly on international law or the driving forces behind international development. Under Article 8 of the Charter for European Security adopted at the OSCE Summit in Istanbul in November 1999, neither the EU, nor NATO “can have any preeminent responsibility for maintaining peace and stability in the OSCE area or can consider any part of the OSCE area as its sphere of influence.” No one authorised the EU to address the problems of war and peace in Europe; only the UN Security Council has this international legal prerogative.

In the case of the sovereign DPR and LPR, the EU did not even bother to delve into historical truth or to take steps to ensure the legitimate interests of the residents of Donbass, their human dignity and the desire for a peaceful life on their own land, things that have been flagrantly violated for eight years now. Where were the EU representatives when Kiev’s regime imposed a socioeconomic blockade on the DPR and LPR and issued orders to shell towns in southeastern Ukraine killing civilians? Where were they when the Verkhovna Rada was churning out laws that openly infringe on the rights of the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine, openly violating its obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Protocol 1 to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the Framework Convention of the Council of Europe for the Protection of National Minorities, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, the document of the Copenhagen Meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the CSCE and other documents?

Instead, the European Union pursued a policy of covering up the ultra-nationalist Ukrainian regime, which is responsible for the destruction of its own country and the destabilisation of the situation in Europe. Following open support for the anti-constitutional coup in Ukraine in 2014, the EU once again betrayed European ideals of respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms, trying to punish the peoples of the DPR and LPR for their democratic choice and self-determination. Hypocrisy has been elevated to the rank of politics.

Our repeated messages to Kiev and its Western handlers about the need to stop the violence in Donbass and to implement the Minsk Package of Measures have fallen on deaf ears. For them, the people of the DPR and LPR are just a bargaining chip. Even after Russia recognised the independence of these republics, the shelling not only did not stop, but even intensified. Given these circumstances, a decision was made to conduct a special military operation designed to stop the tragedy in Ukraine, which began after an illegal coup in 2014.

The EU’s continuing unfriendly steps against Russia and Russia’s fraternal DPR and LPR will not be able to stop the progressive development of our states and the provision of assistance to them. In accordance with the principle of reciprocity, which is fundamental to international law, we will take tough response measures.