Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has thanked members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for adoption of the resolution on the Ukrainian prisoners in Russia and the situation in Crimea.

"Thankful to our friends in the European Parliament for fruitful debates and the resolution on the Ukrainian prisoners in Russia and the situation in Crimea, and resolute support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," Poroshenko wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday.

He said that the today's resolution is a clear signal that despite of manipulations the occupation authorities cannot hide three years of the unlawfulness in Crimea, blatant violation of human rights and freedoms, in particular the Crimean Tatars, and detention of Ukrainian citizens for achievement of their political goals.

"International humanitarian law imposes clear liabilities on Russia as the occupant state, the non-observation of which would result in additional responsibility of the Kremlin, including new sanctions. Russia must implement the requirements of global society, in particular, the UN General Assembly, and provide the complete access to international monitoring organizations to the occupied Crimea," the Ukrainian president said.

He said that the lawsuit initiated by Ukraine against Russia in the International Court of Justice is a civilized response of Ukraine to "violation of international law, terror and discrimination by the aggressor."

"Our force is in hard-line commitment to the rule of law and the principles of law, indestructible and solid unity and solidarity in the case on de-occupation of the Crimean peninsula and release of political prisoners of the Kremlin," Poroshenko said.

According to a posting on the website of the European Parliament, in its resolution the European Parliament condemns the unlawful annexation of Crimea by Russia and the discriminatory policies imposed by the so-called authorities against, in particular, Crimea’s ethnic Tatar minority, the infringement of their property rights.

The European Parliament strongly condemns the decision of the Russian authorities to give all inhabitants of Crimea Russian passports.

"The European Parliament calls on Russia to release without further delay all illegally and arbitrarily detained Ukrainian citizens, both in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, and to provide for their safe return," reads the resolution.

The European Parliament considers that the rights of the Crimean Tatars have been gravely violated through the banning of the activities of the Mejlis and strongly reiterates its call for the immediate reversal of the related decision and its effects; deplores the legal persecution and threats of arrest of the Mejlis leaders.

"The European Parliament calls for further restrictive measures to be imposed on individuals responsible for gross human rights violations," reads the resolution.

The European Parliament supports the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.