The European Union will not recognise the so-called “presidential elections” held on 18 September in South Ossetia, a region of Georgia occupied by Russia.
This is stated in a statement by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.
“The European Union does not recognise the constitutional and legal framework, including the recent amendments to it, on the basis of which, on 18 September 2026, so-called presidential elections were organised in the occupied separatist region of Georgia – South Ossetia. Their results are null and void,” the statement says.
Kallas said EU countries condemn Russia’s actions aimed at appointing a Russian official as the de facto president of occupied South Ossetia.
The EU also condemned the signing on 9 May 2026 of the so-called agreement on “deepening allied co-operation” and Russia’s subsequent attempts to tighten control over the region by integrating it into its political, military, economic and legal spheres.
According to Kallas, such actions run counter to a peaceful settlement of the Georgian–Ossetian conflict and create the risk of South Ossetia’s further illegal annexation by Russia.
She also stressed that the EU continues to support Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
“The EU calls on the Russian Federation to respect Georgia’s sovereignty and to cease any actions that undermine the territorial integrity of the Georgian state,” Kallas said.