Updated | Malta condemns developments in Crimea, PM to attend extraordinary EU summit

Leaders of the European Union will be meeting on Thursday to discuss the worsening crisis in Ukraine. Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will be attending, MaltaToday can confirm.

In a tweet, Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the EU presidents and prime ministers will be meeting during the extraordinary summit to help de-escalate the siutation in Ukraine.

Extraordinary summit of EU Presidents & Prime Ministers called for Thursday to help de-escalate situation in #Ukraine http://t.co/Zklvk5KPEL — Herman Van Rompuy (@euHvR) March 3, 2014

In Brussels, Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella condemned the latest developments in Crimea.

The European Union strongly condemned the clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity by acts of aggression by the Russian armed forces as well as the authorisation given by the Federation Council of Russia on 1 March for the use of the armed forces on the territory of Ukraine.

"These actions are in clear breach of the UN Charter and the OSCE Helsinki Final Act, as well as of Russia's specific commitments to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity under the Buda pest Memorandum of 1994 and the bilateral Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership of 1997," the EU foreign affairs ministers said.

The EU called on Russia to immediately withdraw its armed forces to the areas of their permanent stationing. It also urged Russia to, without delay, agree to the request by Ukraine to hold consultations.

Speaking at the extraordinary meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Minister, Vella called for the full respect of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint, avoid any further provocative actions and immediately diffuse the situation.

Vella expressed Malta's full support for further political dialogue to prevail, noting that provocative rhetoric can easily spiral the situation out of control.

In this regard, he called for the full observance of the UN Charter and relevant international agreements, as well as the provisions of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum of Understanding and other agreements.

Vella urged the international community to resort to all available diplomatic tools in order to ensure the full observance of bilateral treaties between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, and supported an EU role in facilitating contact between the two sides.

He said that all channels of dialogue with Moscow should be utilised, including through important interlocutors such as the OSCE and Council of Europe.

At the same time, the Minister stated that the EU should encourage the Ukrainian Government to engage in all-inclusive dialogue which takes into account the concerns of all minorities within its territory. He also noted that Malta fully supports the possibility of the EU forming part of an international mediation mission.

With respect to the possibility of targeted measures against Russia, Vella emphasized that the EU's priority should be to stabilise the situation and refrain from any further action that might escalate tensions, rather than build walls between us.

He did not rule out the EU re-evaluating the impact that further escalation by Russia could have on future EU-Russia relations.

"The EU should fully support the empowering of Ukrainians to determine their own futures and elect a new Government which has broad support and reflects the aspirations of all Ukrainians," he said.

"It is the Ukrainian people who should determine their future and the EU must stand ready and willing to support their choices, including through financial and economic assistance."