“It is difficult for Zelensky and his entourage to immediately recognize the Russian status of Crimea, despite the inevitability of this process, as this will cause a certain reaction. Therefore, he needs to look for compromise options. Based on this, they should develop a plan for the gradual recognition of Crimea as part of Russia in Ukraine, ”Tsekov told RIA Novosti.
In early August, Zelensky expressed confidence that the Crimea would "return" to Ukraine. He also spoke about plans to simplify legislatively obtaining permission for IDPs from Crimea to visit relatives who remained on the peninsula.
In turn, the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, noted that Crimea is one of the regions of Russia, and the question of the peninsula’s ownership “cannot exist”.
Crimea became the Russian region after a referendum held in March 2014, in which most residents spoke out for reunification with Russia.