In light of the Crimean Platform forum that took place in Kiev on August 23, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov blamed the NATO and EU of false understanding of solidarity with regards to Crimea by blindly supporting the Ukrainian regime’s attempts to maintain its own interest while begging the West for concessions, money and political support.
Lavrov noted the Crimean Platform was not a real event, but a spectacle of a falsely understood solidarity they cannot do anything about, underscoring the West should first and foremost be guided by reality if it wanted to engage in real politics.
Asking the West if they’re engaged in human rights or playing political games, the Russian Minister also noted the majority of Western officials- special representatives from the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the UN – Russia invited to come and assess the human rights situation in Crimea, showed readiness to visit Crimea only from Ukrainian territory.
The United States were represented at the Crimean Platform by Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, who emphasized during the discussion that the US stands with Ukraine and with all its allies in condemning the alleged illegal annexation of Crimea.
She was part of the three member presidential delegation along with Kristina Kvien, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim in US Embassy in Kyiv and Dr. Andrew Light, Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, US Department of Energy.
She reaffirmed the US support on behalf of President Biden for Ukraine’s efforts to advance reforms and achieve its Euro-Atlantic aspirations apart its fight against corruption and against Russian aggression.
The inaugural Crimea Platform summit attended by officials from 44 countries and blocs, including representatives from all 30 NATO members, was an attempt by the Ukraine President Zelensky’ government to garner international support for a military offensive against Russia to return Crimean peninsula to Ukraine.
In his opening addressing at the conference, Zelensky denounced Russian “aggression”, accusing Moscow of militarizing the peninsula and persecuting Crimean Tartars, pledging to do everything possible to return Crimea to Ukraine.
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