Ukraine condemns Nicaraguan president's statement supporting Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has strongly condemned the public message from Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to Russian leader Vladimir Putin in which he supported the Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; El 19 Digital, a Nicaraguan newspaper with close political ties to Nicaragua’s ruling party
Details: The Ukrainian foreign ministry stressed that such statements are a gross violation of international law, including the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter, UN General Assembly resolutions and Nicaragua's own international obligations.
The ministry said that Ukraine "will reserve the right to respond in a manner commensurate with the unprecedented level of unfriendly actions".
The ministry emphasised that any recognition of the Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories directly contradicts UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 (XXIX) Definition of Aggression, which prohibits the recognition of territorial changes acquired by force.
Quote: "The Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, as well as the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions were and always have been integral parts of Ukrainian territory. Any so-called ‘referendums’, ‘consultations’, or statements by the occupiers, as well as the ‘recognition’ of these illegal actions by third countries, are legally null and void and have no legal consequences."
Details: In 2020, Ukraine had already imposed sectoral sanctions against Nicaragua due to that country's opening of an honorary consulate in Simferopol, a Ukrainian city occupied by Russia.
In light of the situation, Ukraine has called on the Nicaraguan authorities to officially refute Ortega's statement immediately if it does not reflect the country's official position. Ukraine will consider a failure to issue such a rebuttal in the near future as confirmation of the statement, with all the corresponding consequences.
Background: On 30 July, Ortega sent a letter to Putin, in which he "expressed full support and complete recognition of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as an integral part of the Russian Federation". He also expressed support for "the heroic battle that Russia is fighting against Ukrainian neo-Nazism, supported by NATO".
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