Poroshenko thanks Europe and US for their stance on issuance of Russian passports in Donbas

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko welcomes the demonstration of unity and solidarity with Ukraine during a meeting of the UN Security Council, which was convened in connection with Russian “passportization” of Ukrainian Donbas.
“I welcome the powerful demonstration of unity and solidarity with Ukraine during the meeting of the UN Security Council, which we convened immediately in connection with Russian ‘passportization’ of Ukrainian Donbas,” Poroshenko posted on Facebook.

Poroshenko expressed his gratitude to "our friends, primarily, the United States and Germany and France as the partners in the Normandy format, for a statement made by the EU8 group before the meeting, for a clear stance and a clear assessment of the illegality and provocative nature of the relevant decision of the Russian Federation on issuance of passports."

In addition, the President noted that Russian “passportization” is not a humanitarian step, "as Moscow itself creates inhuman living conditions for our citizens under occupation."

“The decision on passportization has nothing in common with the peace process! It contradicts the Minsk agreements - both in letter and spirit! It is aimed at legalizing the presence of Russian troops in the occupied part of our state,” Petro Poroshenko added.

The most effective way of counteraction is further strengthening of the sectoral and economic sanctions against Russia and deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission in the occupied Donbas, he added.

“Donbas is Ukraine, and the residents of Donbas are Ukrainians. We will win only together!” the Head of State concluded.

As reported, on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Decree “On Defining the Categories of Persons Entitled to Apply for Citizenship of the Russian Federation under Simplified Procedure for Humanitarian Purposes.” In particular, the decree states that the residents of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine have the right to apply for acquiring the citizenship of the Russian Federation under a simplified procedure.

In this regard, the UN Security Council convened a meeting on Thursday at the request of Ukraine to discuss the decision of the Kremlin on the start of issuance of Russian passports in the occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.