2024-09-20 15:04 update: 2024-09-22, 14:05
Photo: EPA/STRINGER
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement regarding the future of the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula, in indirect reference to the Polish foreign minister's suggestion that the peninsula might be put under a UN mandate.
"The territorial integrity of Ukraine has never been, and will never be, a subject for discussion or compromise. Crimea is Ukraine. Full stop," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine wrote in a statement published on its website on Thursday evening.
The statement added that "Crimea is the centre of gravity for Europe’s security architecture. Its full restoration can only be achieved through the complete de-occupation of the entire Ukrainian territory, including the Ukrainian peninsula".
The ministry also said that all efforts of the international community "should be aimed at achieving these goals as soon as possible, rather than satisfying the Kremlin’s appetites, in one way or another, at the expense of Ukraine's interests and international law".
The text did not include any direct reference to the Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, however Ukrainian media concluded that it came in response to Sikorski's earlier remarks. The Ukrainska Pravda news portal wrote on Thursday night about Ukraine's foreign ministry rejecting any compromise on the territorial status of Crimea after Sikorski proposed holding a referendum there under certain conditions.
Sikorski mentioned Crimea during the Yalta European Strategy conference held in Kyiv on September 13 and 14, saying that the issue of the peninsula will be crucial during peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
He explained that the Crimean Peninsula was symbolically important for Russia, but it was also strategically important for Ukraine. He added that he could not envision how to achieve peace without the demilitarisation of Crimea.
Sikorski suggested placing the peninsula under a UN mandate with the objective to prepare a fair referendum after verifying who the legal residents were, as quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
The Crimean Tatar government in Ukraine (Mejlis) protested Sikorski's statement. "Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski publicly expressed the belief that in order to end the Russian war against Ukraine, our state should give up Crimea," said Refat Chubarov, the head of the Mejlis on Wednesday.
According to Chubarov, Mejlis considered such public suggestions unacceptable and cynical, and added that they do not align with Ukraine's national interests or the rights and interests of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people of Ukraine.
Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 through a military intervention followed by a referendum that was considered illegal by Ukraine and the West. Tatars made up 12-15 percent of the peninsula's population before its annexation by Russia and faced persecution after boycotting the referendum. (PAP)
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