EU Association Agreement with Ukraine and Unrecognized Territories

The focus of this article is a legal analysis of the status of Crimea and the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) that are parts of the Ukrainian territory that was annexed and separated as a result of the Russian invasion. The authors state that Russia brutally violated the principles and norms of international law and that Russia’s military invasion has been condemned strongly by the international community. Moreover, international sanctions have been introduced against Russia and these territories. Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the unrecognized status of the so-called DPR and LPR largely determines the effects of the Association Agreement (AA) between the EU and Ukraine regarding these territories. The formation of a free trade area stipulated in the AA cannot cover Crimea or the so-called DPR and LPR. These territories and their populations cannot enjoy to the full extent the preferences obtained by Ukraine after the AA came into force. Ukrainian legislation concerning the legal status of Crimea and the so-called DPR and LPR is also analyzed in detail.