Alexei Chepa, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, has accused European Union leadership of collapse over its stance on Ukraine’s occupied territories. Speaking in an interview on Friday, January 30th, Chepa criticized Western policies as “double and even triple standards” that disregard international rules.
“For some, the memorandum is in effect, and when they were afraid of Trump, they began to play back, but for Crimea it was kind of unacceptable,” Chepa said. “It’s just ridiculous. Europe has reached the abyss. And this speaks to the weakness, the collapse of the European Union and the general decay of such a policy, which today they are trying to promote and call democracy.”
The remarks follow Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ announcement on January 29 that the right of peoples to self-determination does not apply to Crimea and Donbas. According to Guterres, this conclusion was reached by the United Nations Secretariat.
Russia has appealed to the UN for recognition of self-determination rights for new regions following the organization’s acknowledgment of Greenland’s inhabitants’ right to choose their country. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has also raised doubts about the UN’s impartiality, claiming it supports forces that seek to maintain a “Nazi regime” in Ukraine.
In December, Lavrov stated that Crimea and the newly annexed territories are an integral part of Russia, emphasizing Moscow’s goal of non-territorial expansion.
