Ukraine is not going to legally acknowledge Russia's occupation of Crimea beneath any circumstances, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated throughout a briefing in Kyiv on April 22.
"There’s nothing to speak about. This violates our Structure. That is our territory, the territory of the folks of Ukraine," Zelensky advised reporters.
The assertion comes amid reviews that the popularity of Crimea as Russian territory is being thought-about as a part of a U.S.-backed proposal to finish the struggle in Ukraine.
Zelensky warned that any dialogue of Crimea dangers shifting negotiations right into a framework dictated by the Kremlin. He stated such proposals play straight into Russian President Vladimir Putin's "sport."
"As quickly as talks about Crimea and our sovereign territories start, the talks enter the format that Russia desires — prolonging the struggle – as a result of it is not going to be attainable to agree on the whole lot rapidly," he added.
Whereas acknowledging that alerts about Crimea have surfaced in several channels, Zelensky stated Ukraine would reject instantly any official proposal.
"We all know the place these alerts are sounding and can proceed to sound," he stated, including that he was uncertain whether or not they originated from Russia or sure U.S. representatives engaged in dialogue with Putin.
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On April 14, U.S. Particular Envoy Steve Witkoff advised Fox Information {that a} potential peace deal may heart on the standing of 5 territories.
Whereas he didn’t identify them explicitly, he’s believed to be referring to Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, together with the partially occupied areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
Ukraine is anticipated to current its place at a follow-up assembly in London on April 23, the place delegations from Ukraine, america, the UK, and France will proceed discussions.
Zelensky stated the Ukrainian delegation going to London can have a mandate to debate phrases for a full or partial ceasefire with Russia. Ukraine is able to negotiate with Russia in any format however solely after an unconditional halt to hostilities, he added.
Zelensky additionally pressured that sustained worldwide strain — particularly from america — is important to succeed in a significant settlement.
"We've been at struggle for over 11 years," Zelensky stated. "Is it attainable to succeed in an settlement with Russia rapidly? No, it’s not. It’s not possible with out strain."
Regardless of expressing frustration over Russia's refusal to de-escalate the struggle, U.S. President Donald Trump has up to now averted imposing any main sanctions or taking punitive motion towards Moscow.
The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy