The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has ruled out any compromises on the issue of Crimea’s affiliation. This was the ministry’s response to Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski’s proposal to place Crimea under a UN mandate in order to hold a “fair referendum” there in 20 years. A statement was published by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Komersant ukrainskyi
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“The territorial integrity of Ukraine has never been and cannot be a subject for discussion or compromise. Crimea is Ukraine. Period. Our Defence Forces, partners, the UN Charter and international law are on the side of Ukraine,” the ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry noted that Crimea is the centre of gravity of the European security architecture. Its full restoration is possible only after the complete de-occupation of the entire territory of Ukraine, including the Ukrainian peninsula.
“We expect further strong support from our partners to force Russia to return to respect for international law and the UN Charter, withdraw its troops and weapons from the entire sovereign territory of Ukraine and restore its territorial integrity, and bring Russia to justice for its aggression against Ukraine and for all its crimes,” the ministry added.
It also stressed that “all efforts should be aimed at achieving these goals as soon as possible, and not satisfying the Kremlin’s appetites in one way or another at the expense of Ukraine’s interests and international law.”
Prior to that, Radoslaw Sikorski stated that Crimea plays a crucial role in the issue of possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. Therefore, one of the options for resolving the issue of the peninsula may be to place it under a UN mandate and hold a referendum there in 20 years.