US State Department condemned Putin’s decision to facilitate process of issuance of Russian passports to ORDLO residents

The United States condemns the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin to simplify the issuance of Russian passports to Ukrainians living in the Russia-controlled territories in eastern Ukraine, as the U.S. State Department reported on its website.

The statement of the State Department noted that such provocative actions of the Russian Federation are intensifying its assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

“President Putin’s decision creates a serious obstacle to the implementation of the Minsk agreements and the reintegration of Donbas. The Minsk agreements, signed by Russia, call for the full restoration of Ukrainian government’s control over eastern Ukraine,” the statement said.

It is also noted that the Kremlin’s decision was made three days after the second round of elections, where Ukrainians elected Volodymyr Zelensky as the new president of Ukraine.

As The Journalist reported, Putin had signed a decree on a simplified procedure for acquiring citizenship of the Russian Federation by Ukrainian citizens living in LNR / DNR.