The EU warmly welcomes the Secretary General’s report of 24 May 2024 on the Human rights situation in the territories of Ukraine temporarily controlled or occupied by the Russian Federation, covering the one-year period from March 2023.

The report clearly demonstrates that Russia’s war of aggression has continued to lead to immense human suffering across Ukraine, within and beyond the territories temporarily controlled or occupied by the Russian Federation. It confirms that the Russian Federation continues to systematically and persistently violate international law with complete disregard for human life and dignity.

As the report concludes, the occupation of new territories by the Russian Federation has been forcefully carried out in an atmosphere of generalised violence and fear to coerce the local population to co-operate with the Russian occupying authorities while suppressing their Ukrainian identity. The EU strongly condemns the widespread and gross violations of international human rights, and grave violations of humanitarian law that have been committed in the process.

The EU also underlines the importance of the work of the European Court of Human Rights on all alleged violations of the European Convention on Human Rights committed by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territories before 16 September 2022, including 4 pending inter-state cases and over 7000 individual applications.

The EU reiterates its firm condemnation of the Russian Federation’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine as a violation of international law and an act of unprecedented gravity.

We call on the Russian Federation to immediately and unconditionally cease its aggression against Ukraine and withdraw its troops beyond the internationally recognised borders of Ukraine, release unlawfully detained civilians and prisoners of war, return all individuals, in particular children, who have been forcibly transferred to the territories of Ukraine temporarily controlled or occupied by the Russian Federation or unlawfully deported to the territory of Russia and Belarus. We reaffirm our strong support to the sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

We recall the strong decisions in support of Ukraine taken at the 133^rd session of the Committee of Ministers, one year after the Summit of Council of Europe Heads of States and Government in Reykjavik.

The following countries align with this statement: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Ukraine.