(CNN) — More than 50 countries condemned the Russian elections in occupied Ukrainian territories in a joint statement published on the website of the US mission to the United Nations on Friday.
The statement said, “Holding elections on the territory of another United Nations member state without its approval is a clear violation of the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Such elections have no legitimacy under international law.”
Also on Friday, the UK called the election “fraudulent” at a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine. “These elections are a sham because of one simple fact: legitimate elections cannot be held in another country,” said Ambassador James Kariuki, the UK’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Kariuki also stated that the elections in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories “will not be recognized” and called on Russia to “immediately stop these elections.”
Kariuki also condemned the “heinous Russian missile attack in Odessa” on Friday, which left at least 20 dead and at least 73 injured. He described it as a “double attack” apparently aimed at inflicting maximum casualties and attacking first responders.
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