Mr Borel called the Russian policy “another flagrant violation” of Ukraine’s national sovereignty on Twitter and reiterated Brussels’ opposition to it.
The European Union will continue to refuse to recognize passports issued by Russia to citizens of Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday.
Mr Borel called the Russian policy “another flagrant violation” of Ukraine’s national sovereignty on Twitter and reiterated Brussels’ opposition to it.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order extending the ability to issue Russian passports to Ukrainians living practically all over the neighboring country.
Previously, Russian passports were granted only to residents of the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists rule; this policy has been in place since 2009.
More than 800,000 residents of Donetsk and Lugansk regions have obtained Russian citizenship through simplified procedures in the past three years, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
Since February, when its army invaded Ukraine, Russia has also been offering passports to residents of areas it has seized, raising concerns that it will annex the Crimean peninsula in 2014.
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