The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the decisions of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) dated February 1 on the application of sectoral special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions) to the Republic of Nicaragua.

Relevant decision was supported by 322 MPs at a plenary session on Tuesday.

As NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said during his speech in the parliament, on November 10, 2020, the Republic of Nicaragua took unfriendly actions towards Ukraine by opening an "honorary consulate" in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has repeatedly appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua with a demand to cancel its unlawful decision, but the official Nicaragua ignored this appeal of the Ukrainian side, deliberately disregarding the official warning of Ukraine. By the decree of the President of the Republic of Nicaragua, 'honorary consul' in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was appointed Oleg Belaventsev, who on March 18, 2019 was found guilty by Sviatoshynsky District Court of Kyiv regarding encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, incitement to the state's sake, waging an aggressive war against Ukraine, and sentenced to 13 years in prison," Danilov said.

He said such actions are gross violations of Ukrainian legislation and international law.