BRUSSELS, May 14 - The European Commission has confirmed the EU's strong support for the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

"The [European] Commission and the Government of Ukraine reiterated their strong condemnation of the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, which the EU and Ukraine will not recognize," reads a joint statement by the Ukrainian government and the European Commission, which was released in Brussels on Tuesday after a bilateral meeting.