The EU Council agreed to start negotiations with the European Parliament on the non-recognition of Russian passports issued in the occupied territories of Ukraine and Georgia. They are trying to create a unified approach to this issue.
The press service of the Council of the EU writes about this.
They note that Russian documents issued to residents of the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine and Georgia will not be accepted for obtaining visas or crossing borders.
"With its illegal annexation of Ukrainian regions, Russia has once again demonstrated its flagrant disregard for the rules-based international order. We will never recognize the violation of the fundamental rights of Ukraine and Georgia to independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The EU is united and strongly supports both countries and their peoples," the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Czech Republic Vit Rakušan, which currently holds the EU presidency, noted.
Some EU member states no longer recognize Russian passports issued in the occupied territories, and some are preparing to do so. The decision of the Council of the EU aims to form a common approach and visa policy of the countries, as well as to secure their borders.
- On September 23, the Russian occupiers started illegal so-called "referendums" in the captured parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. On September 27, the occupiers announced the results of their pseudo-referendums, everywhere — more than 87% were in favor of "joining" to Russia.
- A number of countries have declared that they do not recognize the results of these pseudo-referendums, Russia has promised sanctions.
- On September 30, 2022, Russian President Putin announced the "accession" of the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine to Russia, then the Russian Constitutional Court called these "agreements" as "corresponding to the basic law." On October 3, the State Duma ratified these annexation "agreements", and on October 4, the Federation Council ratified them.