The Presidium of the Baltic Assembly firmly condemns the decision taken by the President of the Russian Federation to recognise the independence of the self-declared “people’s republics” of Luhansk and Donetsk. According to the statement adopted by the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly on 22 February, this is yet another attack on the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as a gross violation of international law.

Already since 2014, the Russian Federation has attempted to destabilise Ukraine and its political leadership, and the situation has now reached the lowest and most dangerous level. The Russian Federation has repeatedly shown that it does not understand diplomatic conflict resolution but rather the language of force, notes Jānis Vucāns, President of the Baltic Assembly.

The Presidium of the Baltic Assembly emphasises that Europe has to come together and show the President of the Russian Federation that his actions have consequences and that Europe is ready to protect not only Ukraine but also international law, peace, and security in the region. As set out in the Statement, we have to act and impose serious economic sanctions that the Russian Federation will not be able to ignore.

In its Statement, the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly calls for a change of approach towards the Russian Federation. Europe must prepare for the worst and be aware that the recent decision taken by the President of the Russian Federation to recognise the independence of the self-declared “people’s republics” of Luhansk and Donetsk is only the beginning of a series of extremely aggressive, violent, and disrespectful activities to test the limits of Europe and its leaders. 

About the Baltic Assembly:
On 1 January 2022, Latvia assumed the presidency of the Baltic Assembly.
The Baltic Assembly is an inter-parliamentary cooperation organisation of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania established on 8 November 1991. The Baltic Assembly consists of national delegations – 12 to 16 members from each country’s parliament. The Baltic Assembly is a coordinating and consultative organisation, which has a right to express its opinion to the national parliaments and governments of the Baltic States, as well as the Baltic Council of Ministers, in the form of resolutions, decisions, declarations, and recommendations; it also has a right to request the above-mentioned bodies to provide information on cross-border issues that are high on the Baltic Assembly’s agenda.

Saeima Press Service