President Vējonis concludes Ukraine visit

On Sunday Vējonis visited the city of Mariinka, in the Donetsk region and met with the Joint Operational Headquarters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, who presented the situation in the area.

During the meeting with the soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the President of Latvia confirmed Latvia's strong support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and stressed that Latvia did not recognize the illegal elections in the areas of Donetsk and Luhansk not currently under the direct control of the Ukrainian government.

"When visiting the conflict zone, I once again made it clear today that this conflict has not been stopped... the Ukrainian side faces human victims almost every day. Russia has all the tools to put an end to this conflict. However, unfortunately, so far, it has not taken steps to defuse the conflict, therefore sanctions against Russia must remain in force," said Vējonis.

He repeated a call for the Minsk agreements to be adhered to and emphasized that Latvia is ready to provide humanitarian assistance in the future, including organizing the rehabilitation of injured Ukrainian soldiers and children in Latvia. The President welcomed the fact that medical aid for 15 injured Ukrainian soldiers is being provided in Latvia currently.

Vējonis visited Ukraine from 23 November to 25 November, met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and participated in commemorative events dedicated to the Holodomor's 85th anniversary, condemning the repressions of the Stalinist Soviets against the Ukrainian people. Vējonis also met with Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman and representatives of the Crimean Tatars.

Meanwhile the clashes between Ukrainian and Russian boats have led Poroshenko to propose the imposition of martial law and the United Nations Security Council is expected to discuss the latest incidents.