23.9.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 315/24

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having regard to all recent European Parliament resolutions on the situation in Ukraine,

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having regard to the Minsk Protocol of 5 September 2014, to the Minsk Memorandum of 19 September 2014, and to the ‘Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements’ of 12 February 2015,

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having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 2202 (2015) of 17 February 2015,

A.

whereas the cooperation between the European Union (EU) and the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries is founded on the values of respect for the territorial integrity of states, human dignity, liberty, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms,

B.

whereas the illegal annexation of Crimea was the first case of forcible incorporation of a part of one country into another in Europe since World War II, in violation of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, the Helsinki Final Act and the 1994 Budapest Memorandum,

C.

whereas Russia remains in breach of the ceasefire agreement of 2008 with Georgia, as it continues to occupy its territories,

D.

whereas Russian aggression and occupation of the Crimean Peninsula, together with acts of aggression in eastern Ukraine which led to material losses for Ukraine, its citizens and its legal entities, should be remedied by the Russian Federation via international judicial institutions,

E.

whereas the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has resulted in thousands of military and civilian casualties, including the 298 innocent passengers of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, with many more wounded and hundreds of thousands having fled their homes,

1.

Confirms that the EU and its partner countries have a common interest in promoting and establishing peace and security in Ukraine, which is suffering from military aggression by the Russian Federation;

2.

Stresses that Russia’s annexation of Crimea and military aggression against Ukraine breaches fundamental principles of international law; expresses its full support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders;

3.

Supports the agreement reached in Minsk on 12 February 2015 with Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande and the Trilateral Contact Group’s signing of the ‘Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements’; welcomes the UN Security Council’s endorsement of the agreement as a whole;

4.

Calls on all sides to act responsibly and to implement the package of measures in full and in good faith, as it offers a way forward to a peaceful resolution of the conflict; expresses deep concerns over the reported numerous breaches of the ceasefire and strongly condemns the Russian-backed separatists’ offensive, the seizure of Debaltseve, in clear violation of the ceasefire agreement, and all acts of terrorism; calls on the Russian Federation to ensure full implementation of the Minsk agreements; reminds Russia of its commitments and special responsibility in this respect;

5.

Urges progress in the withdrawal of heavy weapons and calls on the signatories of the Minsk Package to provide baseline information, including inventories, withdrawal routes and concentration points, to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission;

6.

Stresses that, in line with the Minsk agreements, re-establishing Ukraine’s control over its borders remains essential; reiterates that OSCE observers and unmanned aerial vehicles must be granted full and immediate access to the affected zones so that they can assume their monitoring and verification functions — such zones include all parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and areas along the state border with Russia;

7.

Calls on the EU and its partner countries to continue to provide qualified staff, equipment and financial contributions to the SMM; welcomes the decision to double the number of special observers; emphasises that the separatists have repeatedly failed to respect and promote the provisions of the Minsk agreements, thus leading to a further escalation of tensions and the resumption of armed hostilities;

8.

Considers that the EU and its partner countries should explore ways to support the Ukrainian Government in enhancing its defensive capabilities and the protection of Ukraine’s borders;

9.

Calls on Russia to withdraw its troops and armaments from occupied territories, to stop sending, supplying and financing mercenaries and supporting, training and arming irregular forces;

10.

Takes note of the Ukrainian proposal of 19 February 2015, which calls on the Council of the European Union to consider the possibility of launching an EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) mission in Ukraine as an effective tool for ensuring due and full implementation of the Minsk agreements, aimed at safeguarding Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence and the inviolability of its borders;

11.

Encourages the adoption of confidence-building measures to support the peace and reconciliation efforts; underlines the importance of an inclusive political dialogue, decentralisation and other constitutional changes already proposed in the Poroshenko peace plan; stresses the need to avoid propaganda, hate speech and rhetoric, including by Russia, which may further aggravate the conflict; emphasises that such an inclusive dialogue should involve civil society organisations and citizens from all the regions and minorities concerned;

12.

Calls on the Russian authorities to immediately release Nadiya Savchenko, Member of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada and of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and other Ukrainian citizens who continue to be illegally detained in Russian prisons;

13.

Expresses its great concern about the humanitarian situation in the Donbas and stresses the need for further financial and humanitarian assistance; draws attention to an increasing number of internally displaced persons, refugees in neighbouring countries and children affected by the conflict;

14.

Calls for the continuation and intensification of diplomatic dialogue and pressure in order to achieve a sustainable settlement of the conflict; stresses that the international community should be ready to react with appropriate means to any blatant breach of the ceasefire and to any actions that undermine the efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement; underlines that the maintenance, reinforcement or reversibility of the EU’s restrictive measures depend on Russia’s own attitude and on the implementation of the Minsk agreements; stresses that there can be no military solution to this or other conflicts in our common neighbourhood; recommends applying similar models of internationally assisted peaceful reintegration of occupied territories into legal and constitutional orders;

15.

Calls on the authorities of Ukraine to deliver tangible progress in implementing the Association Agreement and to implement the ambitious but long overdue reforms with great determination, despite the war effort; stresses the need to strengthen the rule of law, eradicate corruption and move forward with key constitutional, judiciary, social and economic reforms;

16.

Strongly condemns the increasing number of terrorist acts in Ukrainian cities, including the recent act in Kharkiv committed on 22 February 2015 during a peaceful march commemorating the first anniversary of the shootings of civilians in Euromaidan;

17.

Supports the international and independent investigation into the circumstances of the tragic downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 and urges all parties to show a genuine willingness to cooperate, guarantee safe and unrestricted access to the MH17 crash site, and allow access to all other relevant resources that may aid the investigation and help bring to justice the perpetrators of this crime; underlines that no amnesty will be given to the perpetrators of this war crime.