Following the latest rebel attacks in eastern Ukraine, which resulted in four deaths, 45 states, including Austria, issued a joint declaration denouncing Russia’s shared responsibility. In a statement released yesterday by the French Mission to the United Nations, the countries „strongly condemned Russia’s continued destabilization of Ukraine“.
In particular, the actions of Russia in some areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions were denounced. Moscow is violating the Minsk agreements to settle the conflict in eastern Ukraine, it said. „Russia is a party to the conflict in eastern Ukraine and not a mediator,“ said the signatory states, which include most of the EU countries as well as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey and Costa Rica.
The signatories criticized Russia for not undoing its annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. Rather, it continues its „blatant human rights violations and the reinforcement of the army on the peninsula“. The 45 states published their declaration on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of a resolution of the UN General Assembly on March 27, 2014. Shortly after the annexation of Crimea, the declaration, which was supported by the majority of member states, emphasized “the territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
