Donetsk is Ukraine and Crimea is Ukraine – German Foreign Minister
Annalena Baerbock, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, has stated that Berlin considers Russia's annexation of all the occupied territories of Ukraine to be illegal and null and void.
Source: Baerbock at the summit of the Crimean Platform, as European Pravda reported
Quote: "Russia's illegal annexations in Ukraine are null and void. They are a direct assault on the United Nations Charter and on international law that we will never accept, and that will not go unpunished. Luhansk is Ukraine. Donetsk is Ukraine. Zaporizhzhia is Ukraine. Kherson is Ukraine. And Crimea is Ukraine," Annalena Baerbock stressed.
She mentioned numerous examples of violations of human rights by the occupation authorities in Crimea, including the conscription and mobilisation of Crimean citizens of Ukraine, propaganda and paramilitary lessons in schools.
In addition, Baerbock noted that Russia uses the peninsula's territory for missile strikes on Ukrainian cities; Crimea is an important component of logistics for Russian forces at the contact line and the blockade of Ukrainian ports.
"Today's meeting testifies to the unwavering commitment of Ukraine’s partners and friends. We want Ukraine to win this war and to win peace," Annalena Baerbock stressed.
Baerbock began and ended her speech by mentioning Iryna Danylovych, a public journalist detained in Crimea who was sentenced to 7 years in prison by the occupation authorities.
The German Foreign Minister recalled that the total cost of Germany's bilateral aid to Ukraine since 24 February - from tents and generators to the most modern air defence systems and tanks - reaches 22 billion euros.
In his speech at the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron also emphasised that official Paris does not recognise Russia's appropriation of Ukrainian territories.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, in his speech at the Crimea Platform summit, underlined that the outcome of Russia's war against Ukraine, including whether it can "secure" Crimea, determines the preservation of the entire global order.
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