Simplifying the procedure for issuing Russian passports to Ukrainian citizens - a test for new President Zelenskiy
(Baonghean.vn) - Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said that President Vladimir Putin's decision to simplify the procedure for granting Russian passports to residents living in eastern Ukraine controlled by separatist forces means this is a test for Ukraine's new leader, and emphasized that the West should not recognize this type of passport.
 |
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy and his Russian counterpart Putin. Photo: Getty |
In an interview, Mr. Linkevicius said that the West should consider imposing additional sanctions on Russia. The Lithuanian Foreign Minister stated: "This is clearly a violation of international law. This is basically a test for the new leadership of Ukraine. At the very least, we should not recognize this passport. How to do that needs further discussion. We also need to consider imposing additional sanctions."
Foreign Minister Linkevicius, who is in Kiev, said he and Ukrainian President-elect Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed the passport issue. In addition, the head of Lithuania's foreign ministry said President-elect Zelenskiy also raised the possibility of adjusting the Minsk ceasefire agreement without making any further concessions to Russia.
Foreign Minister Linkevicius is the first minister from an EU member state to visit Ukraine since the presidential election. Lithuania, a small Baltic state, is a member of both NATO and the EU.
