1. Recalling its conclusions of 30 August, the European Council welcomed the Minsk rotocol

of 5 September and the Minsk Memorandum of 19 September as steps towards a sustainable political solution of the crisis, which must be based on respect for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. It expects the parties' full engagement and swift implementation of all commitments under the Minsk documents, in particular with regard to the full implementation of the cease-fire, the setting-up of comprehensive border control arrangements and the holding of early elections in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in accordance with Ukrainian law. It considers that the holding of "presidential" and "parliamentary" elections, called by the self-appointed authorities, would run counter to the letter and the spirit of the Minsk Protocol and will not be recognised. The European Council reiterates its call for immediate, safe and unrestricted access to the MH17 crash site.

2. The European Union expects the Russian Federation to respect Ukraine's national overeignty and territorial integrity and to contribute to the political stabilisation and economic recovery of Ukraine. The European Council reiterates that it will not recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea. The Russian Federation should assume its responsibilities for the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. In particular, Russian authorities should prevent any movement of military, weapons or fighters from its territory into Ukraine. They should exercise their influence to ensure that the separatists implement in good faith the obligations assumed in Minsk. The Russian Federation should also support OSCE verification efforts.

3. The European Union and its Member States remain fully engaged in support of a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis, including through contributions to enhance the OSCE monitoring capacity, scaling up their humanitarian assistance, and encouraging and assisting Ukraine in its process of reforms, in particular on decentralisation and protection of rights of persons belonging to national minorities. The European Council welcomed the upcoming provisional application of the Association Agreement. It underlined the importance for the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the European Union to strictly abide by the commitments reflected in the Joint Ministerial Statement of 12 September.

4. Looking ahead to Parliamentary elections on 26 October, the European Council reiterates its willingness to support Ukraine as it addresses political and economic reform, including in the energy sector, in line with the commitments both sides have made through the Association Agreement.

5. The European Council welcomed progress in the resolution of the Ukrainian energy crisis. It looks forward to the finalisation of ongoing trilateral negotiations between the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the European Commission.

6. The European Council recalled previous EU decisions on restrictive measures. It will remain seized with the situation in Ukraine in order to provide further direction as required.