Press remarks by Danylo Lubkivsky, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine

UCMC press center

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Ladies and gentlemen,

  • The turmoil in Ukraine comes to a logical conclusion.
  • It was not a civil war – as it was brought, instigated and financed from Russia.
  • It was not a liberation movement – as personal liberties were the last thing on the minds of terrorists.
  • It was not an “insurgency” – either by the roots, nature or the scale of destruction.
  • It has been an act of aggression by Russia against Ukraine that begun in Crimea and continued in the East.
  • It has been an attempt to dismember Ukraine after failing to make it swerve from the European way.
  • It has been a terror war on Ukraine – until Ukraine finally fought back and declared a war on terror in return.
  • Restoring peace is the cornerstone of the platform of our President and the Cabinet.
  • The terrorists rejected the peace.
  • The Russian terrorists showed that negotiating more rights for Russian language, getting a better representation of the region in central government was not what their fight was about.
  • Their fight was about one and only thing: Ukraine’s dismemberment.
  • Once the Russian involvement is out of the picture – we, Ukrainians, will agree among us.
  • And now, as Ukraine gets more democratic and more integrated with the European Union – there will be more ways and means to do that.
  • Negotiations with Russia on peace plan for Ukraine do not constitute a consent to status quo.
  • The trilateral Contact group met on the 6th of July and agreed to continue its activities.
  • Ukraine is committed. Russia and terrorists clearly are not.
  • Ukrainian peacekeepers are reinstating order in the East.
  • In one day our forces removed 700 mines and explosive devices planted by terrorists in Slovyansk.
  • City authorities renew water and power supply, and citizens once again receive salaries or pensions.
  • My best wishes to Denys Hryshchuk and Pavlo Yurov who were freed yesterday in Slovyansk.
  • Ukraine will not stop until all Kremlin’s hostages are set free.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

  • Putin’s regime demonstrates its true colors through persecution of Crimean Tatars and of every person who dares to protest against occupation.
  • Apart from Oleg Sentsov, who was kidnapped by FSB in Crimea, there are other audacious instances of activists disappearing.
  • Timur Shaimardanov, Leonid Korzh and Seiran Zinedin from “Ukrainian Dim” are missing since May.
  • Occupation authorities are not interested in finding killers of Reshat Ametov, whose body with signs of torture was found on the 15th of March.
  • Having denied entrance into Crimea to Leader of the Crimean Tatar people Musafa Dzhemilev and Head of the Mejlis Refat Chubarov, the Kremlin accomplished complete alienation of the Crimean Tatars.
  • Russia imports into Crimea censorship, intolerance, restrictions of freedom of speech, selective justice, administrative pressure and intimidation of dissidents.
  • The Foreign Ministry will further promote truth about human rights violations in Crimea.
  • We cannot and we will not tolerate this. This is about freedom. This about Crimea. This about Ukraine. This is about human dignity that cannot accept the ideology of hatred and slavery.

I thank you.