Heads of the countries and governments of the European Union call on all parties to accept the outcome of the elections, and look forward to working closely with new President of Ukraine.
It is said in the joint statement of the European leaders, released by the Council of the EU today.
“We welcome the holding of the elections as an expression of the will of the Ukrainian people. The presidential election was characterised by high turnout and a clear resolve by the authorities to hold what was a genuine election largely in line with international commitments and respecting fundamental freedoms, despite the hostile security environment in two eastern regions of the country. We call on all parties to accept the outcome of the elections and we look forward to working closely with the new President”, - it is said in the statement.
The European leaders also note: “We stand firm in upholding Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and we strongly condemn the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol to the Russian Federation and will not recognise it. We reaffirm the European Union's commitment to the Geneva Joint Statement of 17 April and commend the role of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in assisting in its implementation, as well as the efforts undertaken so far by the Ukrainian authorities to implement it”.
“In the light of the latest developments, we reiterate our call on the Russian Federation to take actions to fully implement the Geneva joint statement. We also fully support the complementary efforts of the OSCE and its Chairman in Office, while ensuring Ukrainian ownership”, - it said in the statement.
