The members of the European Council unconditionally condemn Russiaʼs illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine.
"Deliberately undermining the rules-based international order and grossly violating Ukraineʼs fundamental rights to independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, basic principles enshrined in the UN Charter and international law, Russia is endangering global security," the statement on the website of the European Council noted.
Member states have declared that they do not and will never recognize illegal so-called "referendums" or their falsified and illegal results.
"These decisions are invalid and cannot have any legal force. Crimea, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk are Ukraine. We call on all states and international organizations not to recognize this illegal annexation," the document states.
They emphasized that Ukraineʼs support remains steadfast.
"We are steadfast in our support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. Ukraine is exercising its legal right to protect itself from Russian aggression in order to regain full control over its territory and has the right to liberate the occupied territories within its internationally recognized borders," the countries noted, adding that Putinʼs nuclear threats will not shake the determination of the EU countries.
"We will increase our restrictive measures in response to Russiaʼs illegal actions. They will increase the pressure on Russia to end its aggressive war. We reiterate that the European Union firmly supports Ukraine and will continue to provide strong economic, military, social and financial support to Ukraine as long as it is needed," the statement reads.
- On September 30, Russian President Putin announced the annexation of the occupied Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions to the Russian Federation.