The presidents of nine countries in central and eastern Europe on Sunday condemned Russia’s illegal annexation of four breakaway Ukrainian regions.
“We reiterate our support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We do not recognize and will never recognize Russian attempts to annex any Ukrainian territory,” said a joint statement by the presidents of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.
Underlining that they “cannot stay silent in the face of the blatant violation of international law by the Russian Federation,” the leaders found to “firmly stand behind the 2008 Bucharest NATO Summit decision concerning Ukraine’s future membership.”
In the statement, released by the Polish preisdency, they demanded that Moscow immediately withdraw from all occupied territories and encouraged allies to substantially increase their military aid to Kyiv.
“All those who commit crimes of aggression must be held accountable and brought to justice,” they stressed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier on Friday announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions following highly disputed referendums that have been denounced by the West as a “sham.”
The territories amount to more than 90,000 square kilometers (34,749 square miles), or nearly 15% of Ukraine’s total area.
Source: Anadolu Agency