Foreign Ministry: Ukraine condemns new Russian attempts to extend ‘passportization’ in Donbas

The ministry released a relevant statement on Thursday, July 18.

"The actions of the Russian side are undisguised interference in domestic affairs of Ukraine as an independent and sovereign state and a serious threat to security throughout the entire European continent," reads the statement.

The Foreign Ministry considers that provocation was made in response to Ukraine’s initiatives to de-escalate the situation, in particular, “the Kremlin by its actions shows its open intention to continue the hybrid war against Ukraine, despite numerous statements about the desire to establish peace as soon as possible”.

“We stress that the Kremlin’s decrees on ‘passportization’ will not be recognized by the Ukrainian side. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry strongly demands from the Russian side to urgently cancel all aggressive decisions regarding Ukraine and eliminate their negative consequences," reads the statement.

Also, in response to the Kremlin’s actions, the Foreign Ministry has already developed for the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine a list of measures to protect national security, legal rights and interests of Ukrainian citizens in line with the international law and Ukrainian legislation.

“We demand that Russia stop torpedoing peace efforts in the Normandy format and in the Minsk process. Instead, it must fulfill its commitments. We expect our international partners not to recognize these Russian documents or other agreements, strengthen individual and sectoral sanctions as a single international tool for forcing the Kremlin to peace,” reads the statement.

iy