Ukraine rejects legitimacy of Russian parliament

Ukraine’s parliament approved on Sept. 20 a resolution rejecting the legitimacy of the Russian parliamentary elections that included Crimean mandates. The resolution also rejects the election’s “legal consequences, and accordingly, the membership, authority, acts and decisions of the State Duma.”

Any conflicts resulting from the Ukrainian parliament’s decision not to recognize laws approved by this Duma convocation will have to be addressed by lawyers in international courts, said MP Volodymyr Ariev, the head of Ukraine’s PACE delegation. “We are approaching the moment that any legislation by the Russian Federation isn’t recognized theoretically in any way on the territory of Ukraine, and it isn’t accepted in Ukraine,” he said, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.

Zenon Zawada: This is as strong a response that Ukraine will muster in response to the elections held on its territory, which won’t make much of an impression on the Russians. Moreover, relations will become even more strained as possible Duma decisions in Ukraine’s favor – or working towards a peace resolution – will have to be ignored.

The situation underscores just how strained the relations are between the two countries, as the need for communication is constantly being undermined by aggressive acts.