Foreign Ministry lodges complaint against Putin's visit to occupied Crimea

The relevant statement is published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The Ukrainian side considers the mentioned visit and other trips of Russian officials to the Russian-occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which are made despite repeated warnings and protests of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, a gross violation of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and the Russian side’s cynical and demonstrative disregard of the universally recognized norms of international law,” the statement reads.

The visit is also a violation of UN and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly resolutions.

The Foreign Ministry has repeatedly emphasized and continues to adhere to the principled position on the inadmissibility of visits to the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which are not agreed upon with Ukrainian officials.

The Foreign Ministry underscored that Ukraine again condemns the measures taken by the Russian Federation to further militarize Crimea and Sevastopol, which poses a significant threat to regional security.

In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demands that the Russian side immediately stops international illegal actions and eliminates all the outcomes they have caused.

The Ukrainian side also reminds that the responsibility for the outcomes in the whole region rests, in accordance with international law, with Russia as an occupying power, its officials, illegal "Crimean authorities" and their representatives who make illegal decisions and commit illegal acts.

"In connection with the illegal visit made on July 20, 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses a resolute protest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation," the statement reads.

Putin arrived in Russian-occupied Crimea on Monday, July 20.

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