PRESS RELEASE : Joint Statement by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the Republic of Estonia Alar Karis
The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 22 February 2022.
The President of Ukraine and the President of the Republic of Estonia having met today in Kyiv stated the following.
The parties strongly condemn the ongoing armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, launched in 2014, as well as the aggressive rhetoric, ultimatums and threats of force by the Russian Federation.
The parties firmly reject the provocations and attempts of the Russian Federation to aggravate the already tense security situation.
The parties call on the Russian Federation to choose the path of diplomacy, to take urgent steps to de-escalate and stop the destabilization of the security situation in and around Ukraine, in particular to withdraw its armed forces from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and from the immediate vicinity of the Ukrainian border.
The parties state that Russia’s recognition of the so-called “Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics” affirms a conscious unilateral withdrawal from the Minsk agreements and is a clear violation of international law, the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the most serious blow to the political-diplomatic settlement, which Ukraine and its partners are actively working to promote.
The Republic of Estonia reaffirms its unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
The parties reiterate their commitment to a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the current crisis. They will continue to work towards a Europe united and at peace, of which Ukraine is an intrinsic part. They affirm the fundamental right of every nation to freely choose its security arrangements and reject any attempts to create dividing lines in Europe.
