On February 22, 2014, a special meeting was held attended by 116 members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. The following statement was accepted by a majority vote. The staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its deep condolences to the families of the victims, including our colleague Olena Vlasenko, who lost her husband Andriy Chernenko.

In light of the resolution by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the withdrawal of the President of Ukraine from the execution of his constitutional authority, we believe that the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine L.O. Kozhara does not have the moral authority to continue to represent Ukraine in the international arena. We therefore appeal to the Supreme Council of Ukraine to immediately appoint an executive head responsible for carrying out the functions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the diplomatic service of Ukraine…