EU will never recognize Russian elections in annexed Crimea - EU spokesperson

EU spokesman Peter Stano said this at a press briefing in Brussels on Monday, September 20, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We will never recognize the elections in illegally annexed Crimea because Crimea is Ukraine. We are also concerned by the fact that citizens of Ukraine and population from Ukrainian territories in the east, which are currently not under the control of the legitimate Ukrainian government, have been given [Russian] passports in order to participate in these Russian elections. This runs counter to the spirit of the Minsk agreements, and this runs counter to the objectives of the Minsk agreements. We call on Russia and we expect Russia to refrain from actions that go against the commitments stemming from the Minsk agreements," Stano said.

On September 17, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry protested against and condemned the illegal organization and holding on September 17-19 of the elections of deputies to the Russian State Duma in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea and the forced participation in these elections of Ukrainian citizens with Russian passports illegally issued to them in the temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

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