EU To Consider Non-Recognition Of Russian Passports Issued In Donbas - Press Release

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st June, 2019) The European Union will keep monitoring the developments in the war-battered eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas and will consider non-recognition of Russian passports issued to local residents, the European Council said on Thursday.

"The European Council will continue to monitor the situation in eastern Ukraine and stands ready to consider further options, including non-recognition of Russian passports issued in contradiction to the Minsk agreements, in close coordination with its international partners," the Council said in a press release published on its official website.

In late April, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics in Donbas to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner. According to the president, the measure is purely humanitarian and meant to protect the people's rights.