The foreign ministers of the EU member states do not recognize the outcome of the referendums in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton has said. "We were very clear as well in our position regarding the so-called referendums. The European Union will not recognize any illegitimate and illegal referendums," she said at a press conference in Brussels on May 12.
“There was a great deal of concern over the continued efforts of pro-Russian separatists to destabilize eastern and southern Ukraine. These actions are unacceptable, they must be stopped,” Ashton said.
The EU foreign policy chief said that the EU welcomes the efforts of the Ukrainian authorities to implement the Geneva agreement and calls on the Russian Federation to take effective steps to fulfill the commitments made in Geneva.
“The EU gives its strong support to the holding of free and fair presidential elections on the 25th of May, a real opportunity for the people of Ukraine to decide on their own future,” she added.
