Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that his country’s war against Russia will only end with the reconquest of Crimea, the peninsula that was unilaterally annexed by Moscow in March 2014.
The statement was given at the “Crimean Platform”, the second international meeting that Zelensky, on his own initiative, presented at the UN in September 2020 during that year’s General Assembly.
Tuesday’s virtual meeting is even more significant as it takes place on the eve of the six-month anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“To truly achieve victory, to restore international law, Crimea needs to be liberated. Everything started in Crimea and must end in Crimea. Dear citizens of Crimea and Crimea: I know, you are waiting. Return to Ukraine and we will do it,” he said. .
Zelensky also noted that “the blue and yellow flags will return home, where they have the right to exist in all temporarily occupied towns and cities of Ukraine.” “We will not recognize another color on our land and in our skies. We are always ready to defend the blue and yellow flag.”
European Union President Ursula von der Leyen said in her speeches that the bloc would “never recognize the illegal annexation” of Russia in 2014.
“We work tirelessly with Ukraine to condemn human rights violations, ensure justice for those responsible, and support the victims. Crimea has been used not only as a military base but also as a test bed for the brutal annexation of part of Ukrainian territory. The EU will stop. We stand by our side and our desire to see Ukraine as an EU member has never been stronger.”
Currently, the country has “candidate” status to enter the European bloc as an official member.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who said his country supports the Crimean Platform “without hesitation”, also attended the virtual event, emphasizing that the government “always condemns” the Russian occupation for more than eight years. .
“We are concerned about the deterioration of human rights on the peninsula and the injustice done to the Tatar community. The fight for Crimea is part of the fight to liberate Ukraine.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Berlin will continue to support Kiev both with sanctions and financially.
“We will also continue to procure weapons and implement another modern air defense system, missile launchers and a new package with tons of ammunition, drones and armored recovery vehicles, among other items,” he said.
Due to the invasion of Russia, Germany changed its policy over the decades since the end of the Second World War and approved the shipment of weapons and military supplies to conflict zones, in addition to increasing GDP spending on the sector.
President Andrzej Duda, who attended the event in Poland, the main destination for Ukrainians fleeing Poland, said once again that “Crimea is Ukrainian and will still be a part of Ukraine, as Rotterdam is part of the Netherlands and Nice is part of France.” .
“There are those who think that Crimea has become Russified, but you can’t go back to ‘business as usual’ when talking about Russia.
After the crimes committed by Bucha and the destruction of Ukraine, Russia should not only return to its borders on February 24, but also recognize Ukraine’s right to return to internationally recognized borders.”
Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), also attended the meeting.
“Winter is coming and it will be tough. We are in a war of attrition where the key will be willpower and logistics.
“We need to support Ukraine because a strong and sovereign Ukraine is a guarantee of the security of the Atlantic Alliance,” he said.
Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Stoltenberg said that the president “thought he could overthrow Ukraine and its armed forces and divide the international community, but he was wrong: Ukraine has been suffering in war for six months, but resisting aggression, re-conquering the territory and costing Russia serious To upload”.
Located in the Black Sea, Crimea was captured by Russian troops at the beginning of the separatist conflict that struck Ukraine between the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014. In addition to the unilateral annexation of the region, Moscow provided training and sent money and weapons to separatist groups in Ukraine The Donbass region, formed by Donetsk and Lugansk, is now the focal point of the conflict.
source: Noticias
