There is no option to return Crimea to Ukraine, said Sergei Tsekov, member of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, Crimean Senator, in an interview with RT. Thus, he responded to the statement of the speaker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on the readiness of Kiev to negotiate on the "restoration" of sovereignty over the peninsula.

“In Ukraine, they think only about their rating, about how they look in the eyes of citizens. In fact, everyone understands that there is no option to return Crimea to Ukraine. At the same time, people in certain positions repeat the cliches that have been formed over the course of five years and which, they believe, are liked by voters, ”the senator said.

According to Tsekov, if the Ukrainian leadership took care of their country, it would conduct adequate and constructive negotiations with Russia.

Earlier, the speaker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Kateryna Zelenko said that Kiev was ready to return to the discussion of "restoring Ukrainian sovereignty" over the peninsula "in addition to negotiations in the Norman format."

She also commented on the statement of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko. Earlier, he said that recognition of Crimea as Russian was a good basis for resolving the issue of maritime demarcation.

“The arrogant demand of a Russian official to recognize the illegal occupation of Crimea is another dirty manipulation of the Kremlin,” Zelenko quoted Interfax-Ukraine as saying.

As suggested by the State Duma deputy from Crimea Ruslan Balbek in an interview with RT, a statement by the representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry could have been made for the “red words” and a demonstration of Kiev’s commitment to previous positions.

“Only now who will discuss the return of Crimea with Ukraine is probably the main intrigue of the upcoming meeting in the Norman format. Russia put an end to the discussions, you can only wait for sympathy from the West, what is the result of a discussion with yourself? ”Balbek asked.

The parliamentarian also suggested that this could be an attempt to create a “nervous situation” amid discussions about a possible meeting in the Norman format.

Recall that Crimea became the Russian region after the 2014 referendum, in which the majority of the inhabitants of the peninsula called for reunification with Russia.

Zelensky on the "struggle" for Crimea

The status of Crimea is systematically mentioned by Ukrainian politicians at various levels. The intention to “return” the peninsula has been repeatedly spoken by the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky. In September, he said that Kiev would “fight for the Crimea with more than words” and called the situation on the peninsula “the most difficult”.

“Frankly, we think we have several formats, there are several ideas. But I can’t tell you about it, it’s too early. It will be like an exchange, so I don’t want anyone to use our ideas, ”Liga.net quotes the head of the Ukrainian state.

“We are thinking about a model. If possible, I will dwell on this. We will fight to return Crimea, and not only with words, ”he added.

Prior to this, at the end of August, Zelensky outlined the main tasks of the Verkhovna Rada of the new convocation. Among other areas, he mentioned the end of the conflict in southeastern Ukraine and the "return" of Crimea.

  • President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky
  • Reuters
  • © Gleb Garanich

“The most important task is to strengthen national security and defense, end the war in the Donbass and return the Crimea annexed by the Russian Federation,” Zelensky said on the air “112 Ukraine”.

Commenting on Kiev’s claims to the Russian peninsula, the first vice-speaker of the Crimean parliament Efim Fix ruled out the possibility of any negotiations on this subject.

“They still can’t calm down and continue their discussion and history on their stupid wave. Apparently, they have nothing to do, so they invent all kinds of nonsense. The issue of Crimea’s affiliation was resolved once and for all, it happened on March 16, 2014, and it’s useless to come back to this issue, ”RIA Novosti quotes Fix as saying.

In turn, Vladimir Olenchenko, a senior fellow at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS, ironically noted that the current Ukrainian authorities "still cannot get out of the status of show business." According to the expert, the inhabitants of Ukraine are not interested in Crimea, but in other problems.

He also suggested that such rhetoric in Kiev is a way to divert attention from incompetent actions to resolve the situation in the Donbass.