Ukraine has an inalienable right to self-defense under the UN Charter, and the United States will steadfastly support it. U.S. Permanent Representative to the OSCE Michael Carpenter said this at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, Ukrinform reported.
"I remind the Permanent Council that Ukraine has an inalienable right to self-defense, as reflected in Article 51 of the UN Charter, and the United States will steadfastly support it," he said.
According to Carpenter, the U.S. is always ready for diplomacy, but "some things are non-negotiable."
"The United States will never recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea. We will not weaken our commitments to sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders. Nor will we cease to express our concern over Russia's abuses in Crimea, nor will we cease our calls for Russia to release all Ukrainian political prisoners it now holds," the U.S. ambassador noted.
He added that sanctions against Russia related to the occupation of Crimea will remain in place "until Russia returns full control of the peninsula to Ukraine." As for sanctions related to the aggression in eastern Ukraine, they will remain in effect until Russia fulfills its obligations under the Minsk agreements.
Carpenter emphasized that Russia continues to threaten the security not only of Ukraine but also of Europe as a whole through military escalation, unannounced military exercises, increasingly hostile rhetoric, and false narratives that Ukraine is planning some kind of provocation involving defense assistance from NATO countries.
These claims by Russia are blatant lies, the diplomat stressed. But it is obvious that Russia has deployed more than 100,000 troops along the Ukrainian border, in the temporarily occupied Crimea and in Belarus.
"In total, there are more than 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine's borders, supported by a large number of aircraft, an unprecedented amount of ammunition for alleged 'exercises' and back-up medical supplies such as blood banks. Indeed - everything necessary for one country to attack another," said the U.S. ambassador to the OSCE.
At the same time, he pointed out, as satellite images show, there are no signs of any build-up by Ukrainian troops. Nor has the OSCE SMM reported any significant changes in the deployment of the AFU in eastern Ukraine.
"We call on Russia to choose the path of diplomacy and de-escalation. Russia has outlined its concerns and proposals in writing, and the United States has also provided Moscow with a written response. We have made clear that there are fundamental principles that we have an obligation to uphold and defend, including Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Carpenter said.
