More than 50 UN countries jointly condemned Russian elections in occupied territories of Ukraine: they have no legal force
More than 50 UN countries joined a joint statement condemning the Russian Federation’s efforts to hold so-called "presidential elections" in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
The corresponding statement was published by the permanent representation of Ukraine at the UN, Censor.NET informs.
"We strongly condemn the illegitimate attempts of the Russian Federation to organize elections for the president of Russia in the temporarily occupied territories within the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine. Holding elections on the territory of another UN member state without its consent is a blatant disregard for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Such elections have no legal force by international law," the statement said.
The UN countries also recalled the resolution of the General Assembly, adopted at a special session on October 12, 2022, which recognized the illegal "referendums" of the Russian Federation in September 2022 in certain areas of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine as invalid from the point of view of international law.
In addition, the statement mentions the resolution of the General Assembly of March 27, 2014, which also states that the so-called "referendums" held on March 16, 2014, in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, do not have any legal force and cannot be the basis for any change in the status of these regions.
UN countries have repeated calls not to recognize any change by the Russian Federation in the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine.
"We demand from the Russian Federation to refrain from holding illegitimate elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. We confirm the call of the General Assembly to the Russian Federation to stop the aggressive war against Ukraine and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all its armed forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders ", the statement says.
The UN countries also confirmed their unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including territorial waters.
The statement was supported by Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Marshall Islands, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Palau, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Great Britain, USA, Uruguay and the European Union.
