Ukraine will definitely liberate Crimea and return this part of its territory not only to the all-Ukrainian space but also to the all-European space, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed on Tuesday.
Addressing virtually parliamentary leaders that convened at the so-called Crimea Platform initiative in Croatia to coordinate the international response to Russia’s occupation in the region, Zelensky first expressed his gratitude to almost states and international organizations — who helped in the parliamentary format.
Noting he’s aware that it will not be easy to reintegrate the peninsula with Ukraine, he stressed they’re getting closer every day, pointing out that raising the Ukrainian flag again in Crimea would mean the return of the normality familiar to all Europeans in terms of security normality, economic, legal, social, cultural.
The Crimea Platform was initiated by Kyiv prior to Moscow’s latest invasion, with an aim to create a consultative international body that will streamline the response to the Russian occupation.
This week, parliamentary leaders from dozens of countries – including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly, who attended in his capacity as NATO Parliamentary Assembly president – gathered in Croatia for the platform’s first parliamentary summit.
Underscoring the US stand that Crimea is Ukraine, Pelosi pointed out that the Crimea Platform was established to bring an end to Russia’s occupation of Crimea and to restore Ukraine’s control over the territory in accordance with international law.
She vowed to pass more support to Kyiv later this year – on top of the billions of dollars in aid that the US Congress has allocated for Ukraine so far – when US lawmakers wrap up must-pass government funding legislation.
Although most of the international community does not recognize Moscow’s claims in Crimea, Russia officially annexed Crimea in 2014, years prior to its ongoing invasion of other parts of Ukraine in February.
It also annexed four other Ukrainian regions earlier this month.
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