President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso said Tuesday that the European Union “does not and will not recognise the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol to the Russian Federation.”
“The sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine must be respected. The European Union does neither recognise the illegal and illegitimate referendum in Crimea nor its outcome,” Van Rompuy and Barroso said in a joint statement.
“The European Council will discuss the situation in Ukraine at its meeting this week and agree on a united European response,” in line with the declaration of the Heads of State and Government of the EU of 6 March and joint statement on Crimea of 16 March, the Presidents of European Council and European Commission said.
