In a decision adopted today, at the end of an extraordinary meeting which brought together the representatives of the 47 Council of Europe member states, the Committee of Ministers:
- condemned in the strongest terms the armed attack on Ukraine by the Russian Federation in violation of international law;
- decided to examine without delay, and in close co-ordination with the Parliamentary Assembly and the Secretary General, the measures to be taken in response to the serious violation by the Russian Federation of its statutory obligations as a Council of Europe member State;
- urged the Russian Federation to immediately and unconditionally cease its military operations in Ukraine;
- condemned the recognition by the Russian Federation of the Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent entities;
- reiterated their unwavering commitment to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders;
- expressed their support to Ukraine and their solidarity with its people;
The Committee of Ministers also agreed to hold a further extraordinary meeting on 25 February 2022 with a view to considering measures to be taken, including under Article 8 (*) of the Statute of the Council of Europe.
(*) Article 8: Any member of the Council of Europe which has seriously violated Article 3 may be suspended from its rights of representation and requested by the Committee of Ministers to withdraw under Article 7. If such member does not comply with this request, the Committee may decide that it has ceased to be a member of the Council as from such date as the Committee may determine.