European Commission spokesperson Anita Hipper on March 24 reafirrmed the European Union's support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and decried Russia's sham "referendums" in illegally occupied regions.
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff on March 21 suggested that Ukrainians living in occupied territories may want to live under Russia, citing so-called "referendums." The remarks, which echoed Kremlin propaganda, garnered backlash from Ukraine and its allies.
The EU does not recognize Russia's "completely fraudulent" referendums held "at gunpoint" in illegally annexed Ukrainian regions, Hipper said.
Hipper also condemned Russia's continued attacks on Ukraine and called for Moscow to demonstrate its willingness to end the war.
"We saw attacks over the weekend, including a strike in Kyiv where three people were killed, including a five-year-old child. So, this shows that Russia still has to demonstrate its true political will to end its illegal and unprovoked aggression," Hipper said.
Hipper's comments came as U.S. and Russian delegations held their latest round of negotiations on a potential ceasefire in Ukraine. Officials spoke for 12 hours in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, without Ukrainian or European participation.
A Ukrainian delegation met separately with a U.S. team in Riyadh on March 23.
Ahead of the talks, Witkoff's comments sparked outrage and fears that the U.S. might lend legitimacy to Russia's ongoing occupation of sovereign Ukrainian territory. Russia now partially occupies four Ukrainian regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.
In September 2022, Russia annexed the four regions, using sham referendums to justify the seizure of Ukrainian land.
A Kremlin official reportedly told the Moscow Times on March 24 that Russia aims to cement its control over the four Ukrainian oblasts during peace negotiations with the U.S.
Russia has also occupied Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea since 2014.
When asked if Witkoff's comments indicate that Washington believes Russia has a legitimate claim to Ukrainian territories, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce gave an evasive answer.
"I'm not going to speculate ... there are a lot of diplomatic talks going on," she said.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
