I have the honour to deliver this joint statement on behalf of the 27 EU Member States, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America.

We are reacting to the statement on behalf of the Russian Federation delivered by a representative of the so-called administration in the territory of Ukraine temporarily controlled by Russia.

We recall the relevant UNGA resolutions which recognise the status of this territory as an integral part of Ukraine.

We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters. We reiterate our strongest condemnation of Russia’s aggression and its attempts to acquire Ukraine’s territory by force in flagrant violation of international law, including the UN Charter. We firmly and unequivocally reject, do not and will never recognize the attempted illegal annexation by Russia of Ukraine's regions of Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

We therefore urge Russia to refrain from letting any representative of the so-called administration in the territories of Ukraine temporarily controlled by Russia intervene on its behalf within the Human Rights Council, or in any other international fora.

Thank you.