The European Union plans to step up criticism of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine at the next Ukraine-EU summit in Kyiv.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – September 17, 2021 – Forums and Conferences
“We remain deeply concerned … about the unprecedented large-scale increase in military power near the border with Ukraine, as well as in the illegally annexed Crimea and the city of Sevastopol,” the October 12 communiqué said, following a meeting between top EU officials and Charles Michel Ursula von der Leyen with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, who was at the disposal of the publication.
“We urge Russia … to ensure greater transparency and a clear explanation of the deployment of forces and equipment in these areas,” the summit’s draft conclusions, prepared on Monday (September 13th), read.
It is about the concentration of Russian forces on the border with Ukraine and on the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea, which alarmed the European continent in the spring of 2021.
According to the publication, the draft EU declaration uses sharper wording on Russia’s role in the war in eastern Ukraine than the conclusions of the last summit in 2020.
It emphasizes “Russia’s responsibility as a party to the conflict.”
“We condemn the ceasefire by Russian-backed militias and call on Russia to take full responsibility in this regard,” the EU plans to state.
The draft text condemns Russia’s decision to “close part of the Black Sea to foreign military and state vessels.” Russia is also expected to be urged to “refrain from obstructing the lawful exercise of the rights and freedoms of navigation.”
However, according to EUobserver, much of the 2021 project has been verbatim copied from the 2020 findings, showing how little progress has been made on conflict resolution.
The EU will also reaffirm its promise to support economic sanctions against Russia, according to the draft document.
The EU statement will also reaffirm “Ukraine’s role as a strategic gas transit country and reaffirm its support for the continued transit of gas through Ukraine beyond 2024.” This is happening against the background of news about the completion of the construction of Nord Stream-2. At the same time, it is reported that the statement does not reflect the seriousness of the threat from the pipeline.
The draft of 2021 has also not changed a word about Ukraine’s internal problems compared to 2020, which is another sign of stagnation, according to EUobserver.
The text also mentions the need for “de-oligarchization” and anti-corruption reform. The draft statement from 2021 expresses concern about the quality of work of the Security Service of Ukraine, the publication added.
“We stressed the importance of security sector reform, in particular the adoption of a law on the Security Service of Ukraine, which provides a solid basis for transforming the Security Service of Ukraine into a modern agency with clearly defined functions and strong democratic oversight,” the EU said.
The 23rd Ukraine-EU summit will take place on October 12 this year in Kyiv.
On September 16, the European Parliament adopted a document urging the EU not to recognize Russia’s parliament if the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections are rigged. The report on Russia calls the country a “stagnant authoritarian kleptocracy.”
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Source: Ukrgate
