The European Union has vowed
continued support for Ukraine amid growing tensions between Kiev and
Moscow around the Crimean Peninsula. EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini reiterated the bloc’s “unwavering”
support for Ukraine’s sovereignty on Friday while calling on the
country and neighboring Russia to avert further escalation of tensions. Mogherini
said she had discussed the latest tensions between Kiev and Moscow in a
telephone call with her Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin as the
Western-backed Ukrainian government accused Russia of fueling unrest in
east of the country and around Crimea, which joined Russia in 2014
following a referendum. “The
European Union condemns and does not recognize the illegal annexation of
Crimea … We continue to be unwavering in our support for the
territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” EU’s top diplomat
said in a statement.
The development came after the Kremlin declared earlier this week that it had thwarted “terrorist attacks” in Crimea last weekend by Ukrainian military intelligence amid denials by Kiev. The
move was followed by remarks by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev
threatening a break in diplomatic ties with Kiev over the security
incident in Crimea and the deployment of advanced S-400 air defense
system in the Peninsula. Mogherini
said the EU would continue to monitor the situation and member state
officials would discuss the developments on Wednesday. She
added, “Any actions that could lead to a further escalation of the
conflict must be avoided by all sides; a peaceful resolution of the
conflict is the only possible solution.” The
EU has consistently backed Kiev in its persisting conflict with
pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, which has left more than 9,600
people dead since early 2014. A
shaky ceasefire agreed in the Belarus capital of Minsk in late 2014 and
renewed in February 2015 has often been breached with both sides
accusing the other of initiating the violations.
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