| Author (Corporate) | Council of the European Union: General Secretariat |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Press Release |
| Series Details | 17.03.14 |
| Publication Date | 17/03/2014 |
| Content Type | Legislation, News |
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On 17 March 2014 the Council of the European Union (EU), in line with the statement by EU Heads of State or Government on 6 March 2013, adopted EU restrictive measures against persons responsible for actions which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine as well as persons and entities associated with them. The Foreign Affairs Council was held in the context of the referendum held in the Crimea region of Ukraine on the 16 March 2014, in which a large majority of the those who took part voted to seek the secession of Crimea from Ukraine and to join Russia. The EU also gave its support for the swift deployment of an OSCE Special Monitoring Mission on the ground throughout Ukraine. The EU would sign the political provisions of the Association Agreement with Ukraine on 21 March 2014 in Brussels as an act of political support. The US also imposed similar sanctions. The North Atlantic Council (NATO) issued a statement on the 17 March 2014 that it did not recognise the referendum held in the Crimea on the 16 March 2014 as legal. RIA Novosti and other sources reported in the evening of the 17 March 2014 that Russian President Vladimir Putin had signed a decree to recognise Ukraine’s breakaway autonomous region of Crimea as an independent state. In a Joint statement on Crimea by the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso on the 18 March 2014 the EU stated 'The European Union does not and will not recognise the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol to the Russian Federation'. Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Crimea signed a bill to absorb the peninsula into Russia on the 18 March 2014. Western powers condemned the treaty and a G7 and EU crisis meeting was called for the following week in The Hague. |
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| Source Link | Link to Main Source http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/141601.pdf |
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| Countries / Regions | Europe, Russia, Ukraine |
