The European Union (CE) considered this Wednesday “desperate” the decision of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to mobilize reservists in the context of the conflict in Ukraine and assured that the president “is only interested in advancing and continuing his destructive war.”
“President Putin’s speech and the announcements he made both about this referendum (in the occupied Ukrainian territories) and about the partial mobilization, are further proof that Putin is not interested in peace, that is interested in escalating its war of aggression,” said Peter Stano, spokesman for the head of community diplomacy, at the European Commission’s daily press conferenceJosep Borrell.
Stano said that Putin’s speech on Wednesday morning, in which he announced a “partial mobilization” and accused the West of seeking the destruction of Russia, “is also another sign of his despair at how his aggression against Ukraine is going.”
“This partial mobilization, together with the confirmation of the referendums, it is a clear signal also for the entire international community, especially during this crucial week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, that he is only interested in moving forward and continuing his destructive war,” he said.
The spokesman also warned of the “negative consequences” of the war “also for the Russian population itself”.
Territorial integrity of Ukraine
Stano pointed out that the EU supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine and therefore will not recognize the result of the consultations being prepared by pro-Russians in Donetsk, Lugansk and Kherson.
“Whatever the result of this false and illegal referendum, these regions will legally remain part of Ukraine, and Ukraine has every right to do everything necessary, within the limits of international law, to restore control of the legitimate Ukrainian state in these territories,” he said.
As the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenand Borrell said Tuesday from New York, Stano noted that Brussels may approve new sanctions against Russia as a result of the referendum.
“The announcement of the referendums is an action that will have consequences on our part”, He pointed out and in this sense, he recalled that the EU Foreign Ministers held their usual informal meeting on the margins of the UN Assembly.
Nevertheless, avoided giving details of what new measures the EU could adoptbecause the talks, he said, are “confidential.”
The community spokesman also accused Putin of using the nuclear threat as a “part of his arsenal of terror“, which, he said, “clearly demonstrates to anyone in the international community, who was still in doubt as to what his intentions were, how far he wants to go and continue this illegal and unjustified aggression.”
Stano warned that the use of nuclear weapons would not affect “only” to the territory in which they were hypothetically launched, but “to the entire territory of Ukraine” and “to the European space, to the Asian space”, and would have “unforeseen consequences for the whole world”.
For his part, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, tweeted from New York that the Kremlin has announced a mobilization on the International Day of Peacewhile the countries “work for cooperation, security and prosperity” at the annual United Nations meeting.
“In this war there is only one aggressor, Russia, and one country under attack, Ukraine. The EU’s support for Ukraine will remain firm.” Michael asserted.