U.S. at OSCE condemns Russia's militarization of Crimean peninsula

U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE James S. Gilmore said this during a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on Thursday, April 30, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The United States condemns Russia’s militarization of the Crimean peninsula and its interference with navigational rights and freedoms in the adjacent maritime areas, including in the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov, which threaten our common security," he said.

During his speech, Ambassador Gilmore once again stated that the United States condemned Russia’s latest round of conscription in Crimea, which violates international law. "We call on Russia, we demand that Russia end immediately its campaign of forced conscription in occupied Crimea, as well as its other abuses, and return control of the peninsula to Ukraine," he said.

"The United States fully supports Ukraine’s sovereignty, its independence, and its territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, including its territorial waters.  We do not, nor will we ever, recognize Russia’s purported annexation of Crimea," the ambassador added.

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