Baltic States – CIS, EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Lithuania

Dalia Grybauskaite and Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Vilnius, 11.03.2014. PhotoL lrp.lt

"Politically, I cannot understand that, after the 7 decades after the World War II, we start changing the borders of Europe," said Steinmeier after the meeting of the European Affairs Council in which, apart from other issues, the sanctions – the freezing of the asserts and visa prohibition – against the officers responsible for the situation in Ukraine were discussed.

The same thing was said by Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite before an extraordinary meeting of the European Council.

"All heads of Europe have to understand that there is a need to prevent from the redrawing of the map of Europe, as it happened during the World War II (). First of all, it is Ukraine, later there will be Moldova and finally the time for the Baltic States and Poland can come," said Grybauskaite.

The foreign ministers who arrived at the meeting said that the referendum in Crimea was illegal and violated the Constitution of Ukraine. The ministers highlighted the significance of the mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevicius said that the political and legal crisis in Ukraine was deepening.

"It is difficult to call the referendum what happened in Crimea, when the country is occupied by the foreign armed forces. It is difficult to express the free will. The international law and the Constitution of Ukraine have been violated. It is important to not only condemn the referendum, what will definitely be done, but also to prevent from further escalation," said Linkevicius.