ADDRESS

to the United Nations, the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the GUAM Parliamentary Assembly, the national parliaments of the world’s states in connection with another act of aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine

November 25 2018 the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation made an armed attack on the Ukrainian naval vessels, which carried out a planned sea passage from the port of Odessa to the port of Mariupol, in compliance with the provisions of effective multilateral and bilateral international treaties and navigation rules.

Such actions of the Russian Federation are an act of armed aggression against Ukraine as defined in Article 2 of the UN Charter and the provisions of UN General Assembly Resolution 29/3314 of December 14 1974 on the definition of aggression as well as violation of Article 2 and Article 21 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The actions of the Russian Federation are a continuation of the armed aggression against Ukraine, which began on February 20, 2014 and resulted in the illegal occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine - the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and separate areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine:

Expresses resolute protest against the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation in connection with the armed attack and the seizure of the Ukrainian naval vessels “Berdyansk’’, “Nikopol” and the tug boat “Yana Kapu”, the wounding and capturing of members of their crews;

Demands from the Russian Federation to provide emergency medical aid to the wounded Ukrainian seamen, to ensure their immediate safe return to Ukraine as well as to give back the illegally seized military equipment and to indemnify for the incurred damage;

Lays on the Kremlin’s regime full responsibility for the escalation of tension in the region of the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea and the Kerch Strait, which is a continuation of the armed occupation of the Crimea and separate areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions as well as for undermining the process of peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian-Russian armed conflict;

Urges the international community to take effective measures to end Russian aggression both on land and at sea, in particular through the application of new and extension of the existing sanctions until the full restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders;

Invites international organizations to send observers to the region of the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait and proposes to the maritime states to send warships to the region in order to prevent further escalation of tension on the part of Russia;

Urges international partners to enlarge their military and other kind of assistance to Ukraine to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty;

Urges the international community to respond adequately to the challenges and threats posed by the Russian Federation since the policy of appeasement has already led to the occupation of a part of the territory of Ukraine - the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, and separate areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions;

Considers it outrageous that Russia ignored the clear position of the international community, which condemned the organization by the Russian Federation of fake "elections" on the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine and calls for their cancellation. Russia bears full responsibility for these illegal actions and destructive consequences for the peace process;

Emphasizes that the construction of Nord Stream II is not a project in the interests of Europe but in the interests of Russia and poses a threat, including security, for the entire Baltic and Northern Europe region;

Underlines that the impunity of aggressive policy and actions of the Russian Federation can lead to global consequences.