BRUSSELS

The EU “strongly” condemned on Tuesday the Russian parliament’s vote on recognizing the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine as independent.

“The EU strongly condemns the Russian State Duma’s decision to submit a call to President (Vladimir) Putin to recognize the non-government controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine as independent entities,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Twitter.

He said the decision is “a clear violation” of the Minsk protocol -- an agreement that Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) concluded in 2014 to establish peace in Eastern Ukraine.

Borrell reiterated the EU’s “unwavering” support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty within its “internationally recognized borders.”

He also urged Russia to return to negotiations regarding the conflict with Ukraine under the mediation of Germany, France and the OSCE.