Ukraine's Foreign Ministry sent a note of protest to Nicaragua in response to a visit by a Russian delegation from occupied Crimea, the ministry's spokesperson, Oleh Nikolenko, said on Feb. 2.
Russia has illegally occupied Crimea since 2014. Although the peninsula remains broadly recognized as Ukraine's sovereign territory, Nicaragua was one of the few countries to recognize it as Russian.
Representatives of Russian occupation authorities visited the Central American country on Jan. 23 to sign agreements on economic cooperation, as well as a twin cities agreement between Sevastopol and Granada.
In a note sent on Jan. 31, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stressed that Nicaragua's actions "violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," as well as the "norms of international law, in particular the UN Charter."
"The Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol are an inseparable part of the territory of Ukraine," the ministry emphasized.
Previously, the Representative Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea sent an official letter to Ukraine's Foreign Ministry demanding action after the information about the visit appeared in "Spanish-language information sources."
Nicaragua has maintained close ties with Russia. Not only has it recognized Crimea as Russian territory, but the Central American country also opened an honorary consulate on the occupied peninsula in 2020, a move denounced by Kyiv as illegal.
It is also one of the few countries to vote alongside Russia in UN resolutions condemning Moscow's aggression, joining the ranks of countries like Belarus, North Korea, and Syria.
Anastasiia Lapatina
