The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Cools, has made the following statement:

“Ten years ago, on 16 March 2014, the illegal referendum in the Ukrainian region of Crimea, organised at Russian gunpoint, set off a spiral of violence leading to Crimea’s illegal annexation by Russia two days later and eventually to the Russian Federation’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine through which we are living today.”

“In 2014, the Congress strongly condemned the annexation by the Russian Federation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. Today, we stand united with Ukraine and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.”