In view of the Council of Federation of the Russian Federation’s approval of President Putin’s request to use the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the territory of Ukraine, on March 2, 2014, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine conducted an extraordinary session, on which several resolutions were approved, in particular:

1. Resolution on the Appeal of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to Parliaments of States – Guarantors of Ukraine’s Security and to International Organizations, in which the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, stressing the inadmissibility of relevant actions by the Russian Federation as a permanent member of the UN Security Council related to Ukraine by the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership, requested the parliaments of states-parties to the Budapest Memorandum and international organizations to:

- send special monitoring missions to examine the real situation in Ukraine;

- request their governments to provide necessary assistance in securing nuclear facilities in Ukraine.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine also invited the UN, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the EU, NATO, the CIS and other interested international institutions to organize visiting sessions of their bodies in Ukraine, put forward a proposal to create a group to conduct negotiations with Russia to normalize relations with the Russian Federation and deescalate the situation in Europe, called for demonstrations of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and for protection of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; it stressed that connivance of military actions against Ukraine may have irreparable consequences for the whole world order.

 2. Statement by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which, in particular, stressed that the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is an inalienable component of Ukraine, the territory of which is covered by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine; it requested the Russian side to adhere firmly to the basic agreements on the presence of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation in the territory of Ukraine by immediate withdrawal of troops to their stations, and requested Russian President Vladimir Putin to prevent the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation from entering the territory of Ukraine.

The Verkhovna Rada also stressed that Ukraine guarantees the protection of basic rights and freedoms of all citizens living in the territory of Ukraine, including the rights to the free use of language, freedom of conscience and beliefs; any conflict must be resolved by peaceful means only without resorting to the use of force, with participation of international mediation by OSCE, UN, Council of Europe, CIS and the Budapest Memorandum parties.

3. Resolution on the Support of the Armed Forces and other Military Units of Ukraine, in which inter alia:

- expressed its solidarity and comprehensive support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;

- fully supported the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated March 1, 2014;

- instructed the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to take immediate steps to improve the logistic and financial support of all needs of the Armed Forces.

 Also today, the Decree by Acting President of Ukraine, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olexander Turchynov enacted the Decision of the National Security and Defense Council on the Urgent Measures to Ensure National Security, Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Ukraine dated March 1, 2014. According to the decision, the following steps will be taken immediately:

- the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military units of Ukraine will be placed in operational readiness:

- training of persons subject to conscription for military service will be conducted as necessary; its time and duration will be determined by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;

- necessary financial, material, technical and other resources will be allocated to ensure proper protection of security, rights and interests of citizens of Ukraine, sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of state borders of Ukraine;

- requests will be sent to foreign ministries of some of the signatory states of the Memorandum on Security Assurances in connection with Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons dated December 5, 1994, in particular, to the USA and the UK, to ensure Ukraine’s security and conduct relevant consultations of officials in Kyiv;

- security of energy and critical infrastructure objects of Ukraine will be increased;

- a crisis center will be created to react to the situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol; it will be headed by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.