DISINFO: The EU must stop suffocating Donbas residents
SUMMARY
The EU considers defending human rights one of its main goals worldwide, but it essentially became compliant in suffocating the residents of Donbas. They decided not to recognise the Russian passports issued to locals for humanitarian reasons, as they did with Crimea.
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation about the European Union's role in Ukraine.
The European Union is in fact providing support for the most vulnerable people affected by the ongoing hostilities. In April 2020, Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic announced EUR 13 million to support conflict affected population. In October 2020, the EU allocated a further EUR 10 million to "support the most vulnerable people in eastern Ukraine ahead of the upcoming winter and in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic."
The assistance is channeled via UN agencies, NGOs, and the Red Cross. The EU has repeatedly called for unimpeded access for humanitarian organisations to the non-government-controlled-areas.
Russian decrees in 2019 and 2020 entitling people in certain areas of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions to apply for Russian citizenship in a simplified manner was recognised by the EU as another attack on Ukraine's sovereignty by Russia. The recognition of travel documents is a national competence, the EU can only issue recommendations to Member States.
There is no travel ban against Crimean or Donbas residents, all who hold a travel document recognised by the Member States are free to apply for a Schengen visa. In 2019, the European Commission and the European External Action Service issued guidance on the handling of visa applications from residents of non-Government controlled areas of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions to ensure respect for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that the EU rules on Schengen visas are correctly and consistently applied in the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Holders of Ukrainian biometric passports can travel to the Schengen area for short trips without the need for a visa.