At the summit of the so-called Crimea Platform, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again ruled out the cession of the Russian-annexed peninsula. “Ukraine does not trade its land and does not abandon its people,” Zelensky stressed at the meeting. This is part of Ukraine’s morality. He called on those present to help bring back Ukrainians held captive by Russia.
In particular, the head of state highlighted the Muslim minority of Crimean Tatars as a group in Crimea that is particularly persecuted by the Russian authorities. Zelenskyj appealed to the predominantly Muslim neighboring states of Turkey and Azerbaijan to put pressure on Russia.
According to Zelensky, there were more than 60 summit participants. Among others, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina, Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil and Moldovan Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu traveled to Kyiv for the meeting. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his British counterpart David Lammy also attended in person. However, the majority of speakers limited themselves to video messages.
Russia annexed the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in 2014. Since 2021, Kyiv has been trying to raise international awareness of the situation on the peninsula with meetings of the so-called Crimean Platform. In 2022, the Kremlin launched a major attack on Ukraine. Almost 20 percent of Ukrainian territory is now controlled by Moscow. In addition to Crimea, Russia also lays claim to four other regions in the south and east of the neighboring country. Kyiv has set the restoration of the 1991 borders as a minimum goal.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240911-930-230034/1
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