Occupation of Crimea and Donbas: UN Secretary-General rejects Russia's attempts to justify land seizure
Photo: António Guterres (Getty Images)
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has rejected Russia’s attempts to justify the occupation of Crimea and Donbas by invoking the right of nations to self-determination, according to Ukrinform.
A Russian journalist asked whether the UN could consider Crimea and Donbas as cases to which the principle of national self-determination should apply. In response, António Guterres outlined two core principles of international law, the territorial integrity of states and the right of peoples to self-determination, noting that both must be assessed together.
Citing conclusions by the UN Office of Legal Affairs, he said that the right to self-determination can be applied only when a set of specific conditions is met.
He added that the UN had determined those conditions were not present in the cases of Crimea and Donbas, and that, as a result, the principle of Ukraine’s territorial integrity prevails in this situation.
