I am shocked by the findings of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights that prisoners in the so‑called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics are being systematically tortured. I condemn this practice in the strongest possible terms. These allegations must be investigated thoroughly as a matter of urgency.

Russia must exert its influence on the separatists in eastern Ukraine to bring the conflict to an end. The people in the area must be guaranteed their fundamental human rights, and international humanitarian law must be respected.