Russian Ambassador to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov described issuing Russian passports to Ukrainians who had resided in Donbass (see EUROPE 12242/2) as a "purely humanitarian gesture" on Monday 17 June at a press conference in Brussels.
He explained that this decision concerned Ukrainian citizens who had resided in Crimea and left the peninsula before 18 March 2014 (the date on which the Kremlin announced the region's annexation to Russia). According to him, more than 20,000 Ukrainians have already applied for Russian citizenship.
"In the two Donbass republics, until now, their local documents [those of Ukrainian citizens who resided in Crimea and left the peninsula before 18 March 2014] were recognised by the Russian authorities but that was not enough for them to be able to travel or to register for example their new born children, or even to register the passing away of their relatives because the Ukrainian authorities were not accepting any references to that. So, (issuing Russian passports) was a purely humanitarian gesture", he said.
In his view, this decision by Russian President Vladimir Putin should therefore not be seen as an ‘over-politicised’ manoeuvre.
A decision perceived differently by the EU. According to a draft European Council conclusions dated 17 June and obtained by EUROPE, the simplified issuing of passports in certain areas of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk should be on the agenda of the heads of state and government on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 June. Considering that the Russian presidential decree is contrary to the Minsk agreements, the European Council should declare itself "ready to consider further options, including non-recognition of Russian passports". As every six months, the European Council will also decide on the renewal of economic sanctions against Russia.
Finally, Mr Chizhov suggested that a meeting between Vladimir Putin and the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, could take place soon, while specifying that, for the time being, nothing official has been planned.
See the draft conclusions: http://bit.ly/2Io1AcE (Original version in French by Damien Genicot - intern)