1. The EU would like to express its strong support for the draft decision on “The Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its consequences for the human rights situation in the Ukrainian territories under control or temporarily occupied by Russia” as tabled by Ukraine.

2. In doing so, the EU reiterates its firm condemnation of the Russian Federation’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine as a violation of international law and an act of unprecedented gravity. The EU condemns the ongoing temporary occupation by the Russian Federation of parts of the territory of Ukraine in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions as well as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as a violation of international law and the principles upheld by the Council of Europe. We are also concerned about the grave effect of the Russian occupation on Indigenous Peoples, including Crimean Tatars, their fundamental rights, their lands, territories, and resources.

3. We call on the Russian Federation to immediately and unconditionally cease its aggression against Ukraine, and withdraw its troops beyond the internationally-recognised borders of Ukraine, release unlawfully detained civilians, and prisoners of war, return all individuals, in particular children, who have been forcibly transferred to the territories of Ukraine temporarily controlled or occupied by the Russian Federation or unlawfully deported to the territory of Russia and Belarus. We reaffirm our strong support to the sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

4. The EU condemns the illegal so-called local “elections” that have been recently organized by the Russian government in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.

5. We recall the clear results of the 4^th Summit of Council of Europe Heads of State and Government, held in Reykjavik on 16-17 May 2023, and the strong stance taken by European political leaders to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. We welcome international efforts to hold to account the political and military leadership of the Russian Federation for its war of aggression against Ukraine. The victims of all violations and abuses of international law should have access to justice and their rights to truth, to reparation and to guarantees of non-repetition should be respected.

6. The EU in particular welcomes the last three operative paragraphs of the draft decision, strengthening the role of the Council of Europe in its cooperation with Ukraine, increasing the role of the Secretary General on all temporarily occupied territories and encouraging all the Council of Europe human rights bodies to further focus on the temporarily occupied territories in Ukraine.

The following countries align with this statement: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Ukraine, United Kingdom.