Edgars Rinkēvičs, the Foreign Minister of Latvia Open source

The decision of Moscow to simplify the procedure of the issuance of the Russian passports for the citizens of occupied Donbas is an attempt of the silent annexation. It demands the resolute response of the EU, as Ukrinform reports citing Foreign Minister of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs.

“It is absolutely unacceptable; it is an attempt of the silent annexation. I think that all countries of the region should be united in this case and we need significantly more powerful, the resolute response of the EU to such actions,” Rinkēvičs said.

Latvian Foreign Minister noted that Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova need the support not only in the implementation of the reforms but also in the counter-action of the Russian aggression.

On May 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree granting the right to a simplified procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship to certain categories of citizens of Ukraine.

On April 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree according to which the procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions is simplified. Applications for entry into the citizenship of the Russian Federation, which are received from residents of occupied Donbas, should be considered no more than three months from the date of submission.

President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine would grant citizenship to representatives of all peoples suffering from authoritarian and corrupt regimes, and first of all to Russians.

Besides, he said that Russia should not spend its time in vain with their attempts to lure the citizens of Ukraine into getting Russian passports.

Current President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko stated that the order on the issuance of the Russian passports to the Ukrainian citizens on the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk is the attempt to justify and legitimize the military presence of Russia in Donbas.

Ukraine appealed to the UN Security Council after this decision and Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Volodymyr Yelchenko called it to be the daring step, which contradicts the Minsk Agreements.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and IDPs reported that people who get Russian passports will lose their Ukrainian citizenship.