NATO, EU condemn Russia’s 2014 seizure of Crimea

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, left, speaks with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, center, and Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, right, during a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels, Monday, March 18, 2019. EU foreign ministers hold talks with their Chinese counterpart as the bloc seeks to establish a new strategic balance with the Asian economic giant. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

BRUSSELS — NATO and the European Union are condemning Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula five years after Moscow declared the region Russian territory.

NATO allies said in a statement Monday that “we strongly condemn this act, which we do not and will not recognize.”

They also criticized Russia’s military buildup in Crimea and alleged rights abuses including “arbitrary detentions, arrest, and torture” against members of the Crimean Tartar community.

EU foreign ministers are marking the fifth anniversary of the annexation.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said: “We stand in full solidarity with Ukraine, supporting its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

NATO and the EU also called for the release of Ukrainian sailors detained by the Russian navy and coast guard in waters off Ukraine in November. /kga