Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its strong and unequivocal protest against the recognition by the Russian Federation of the self-proclaimed Republic of Crimea as a subject of international law.
These actions by the Russian side do not correspond to the Russian Federation’s international obligations that arise from multilateral and bilateral agreements which guarantee Ukraine’s territorial integrity, inviolability and stability of Ukraine’s borders and non-interference with our state’s internal affairs.
The independence of this entity was proclaimed by an illegitimate body based on the results of an anti-Constitutional referendum that was conducted with flagrant violations of the democratic standards for holding referenda that were developed by the OSCE and Council of Europe and represent an integral part of the principles and values of these international organizations. By recognizing the self-proclaimed Crimean Republic as a «sovereign and independent state», the Russian Federation is in gross violation of its duties and obligations arising from its membership in these international organizations.
Russia's recognition of the self-proclaimed Crimean Republic has one single goal: to create the quasi-legal conditions for the annexation this part of Ukraine and incorporating it into the Russian Federation.
The legality of this act is made void by the unprovoked military aggression of Russia against Ukraine and the Russian military occupation of the Crimea. Current international law does not recognize the annexation of another state’s territory by use of force as legitimate.
Ukraine and the entire civilized world will never recognize the illegitimately-declared independence of Crimea and its violent separation from our state’s territory.