Arctic Council countries condemn Russia’s war on Ukraine
‘Our representatives will not travel to Russia for meetings of the Arctic Council,’ joint statement says
A convoy of Russian military vehicles moving towards border in Donbas region
STOCKHOLM
Seven of eight Arctic Council has condemned Russia’s war on Ukraine, according to a joint statement issued on Thursday.
The countries condemned “Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and note the grave impediments to international cooperation, including in the Arctic, that Russia’s actions have caused," the statement said.
The Arctic Council, a high-level intergovernmental forum addressing the issues faced by the Arctic governments, was established by the Ottawa Declaration in 1996. The members of the council are the US, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Russia.
“In light of Russia’s flagrant violation of these principles, our representatives will not travel to Russia for meetings of the Arctic Council,” the statement added.
Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has met international outrage with the EU, US and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.
According to UN figures, 227 civilians have been killed and 525 injured in Ukraine since the start of the war. Ukrainian authorities, however, put the death toll at over 2,000.
More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, the UN Refugee Agency said.
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