The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Charge D'Affaires in Ukraine Andrei Vorobyov and gave him a letter of protest against the incorporation of Crimea and Sevastopol into Russia.
“The Foreign Ministry said the Russian actions failed to comply with fundamental principles and norms of international law which guarantee territorial integrity, inviolability of borders and non-interference in internal affairs of states,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s information policy department said on Tuesday.
Ukraine sees the aforementioned actions of Russia as annexation, i.e. the grab of a part of Ukraine’s territory.
“Pursuant to the UN Charter, in its relations with Ukraine the Russian Federation must abstain from threats to use force and the use of force against territorial integrity or political independence or in any other way incompatible with the goals of the United Nations,” the ministry indicated.
“Consistent with article 2 of the 1997 Treaty of Amity, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and Russia, the Russian side undertook to respect the territorial integrity and confirmed the inviolability of the existent borders between the [two] countries,” the ministry said.
“The Ukrainian side categorically denies the expansion of sovereignty of the Russian Federation into the Ukrainian lands it has occupied and reserves the right to take measures in line with international laws and Ukrainian legislation,” the letter of protest runs.
