"We firmly reject and unequivocally condemn the illegal annexation by Russia of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. By wilfully undermining the rules-based international order and blatantly violating the fundamental rights of Ukraine to independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, core principles as enshrined in the UN Charter and international law, Russia is putting global security at risk," said European Council in its statement issued on September 30.
The EU also stated that it would continue to stand with Ukraine and would never recognize the illegal 'referenda' that Russia "has engineered as a pretext for this further violation of Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, nor their falsified and illegal results."
