The USA does not recognize the sovereignty of Russia over Crimea and demands to return the peninsula to Ukraine. This is stated in a statement by the head of the US State Department Mike Pompeo.
“February 27 is the day of the sixth anniversary of Russia's attempt to annex the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine, and the United States reiterates that Crimea is part of Ukraine. As emphasized in our July 2018 declaration regarding Crimea, the United States will not and never will recognize Russia's claim to sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula. We urge Russia to put an end to the occupation of Crimea, ”the US Secretary of State said in a statement.
In his statement, Pompeo also accused the Crimean authorities of violating human rights and freedoms, and Russia of the allegedly growing militarization of Crimea.
“The United States condemns Russia's illegal actions in Crimea, as well as its ongoing aggression against Ukraine, including in the Donbass, and therefore anti-Russian sanctions will continue until it regains control of Crimea Ukraine and fully fulfills its obligations under the Minsk agreements, ”the text of the statement published on the website of the US State Department says.
Recall that on the eve of Washington for a year extended the sanctions imposed by the United States against Russia in connection with the situation in Ukraine. They include both measures taken by the Obama administration and subsequent sanctions imposed by Donald Trump.
The text of the order to extend the sanctions, signed by Donald Trump, stated that "the actions and policies referred to in these decrees continue to pose an extraordinary and extreme threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States."
- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
- Reuters
Statements like that made by Pompeo are voiced by the American side because of the need to continue pressure on Moscow and show solidarity with Ukraine, director of the Institute of the Newest States, Alexei Martynov, said in an interview with RT.
“Those who make them, and those who listen to them, perfectly understand that Crimea is a Russian territory that has quite legitimately returned to its home harbor, in accordance with international law. Another thing is that the United States does not recognize international law when it does not need it. The fact that they are going through confrontation is also not news, it is a continuation of the anti-Russian hysteria that Washington has been promoting for several years, ”the expert noted.
Ukrainian wave
Recall, on the eve of Ukrainian officials also made a number of statements disputing the identity of the Crimea and the legality of its reunification with Russia. So, the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky, speaking at the Age of Crimea 2020 forum, said that the “return of Crimea” is part of the national idea of Ukraine.
“I would like to start with simple, obvious things ... A week consists of seven days. Planet Earth is round, and Crimea is Ukraine ... The return of Crimea is an integral part of the Ukrainian national idea, ”Zelensky said.
- President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky
- Reuters
At the same time, the President of Ukraine promised the forum participants that Crimea would not be at the cost of peace in the Donbass, despite the fact that “at present all Kiev’s efforts are aimed at ending the armed conflict in the south-east of the country.”
According to him, Ukraine “will do everything so that the Ukrainian flag flutters over Crimea again”, and will also continue to support Ukrainian citizens living in Crimea.
Zelensky also informed the forum participants about the establishment of the Day of resistance to the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which will be celebrated annually on February 26.
At the same time, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadim Priestayko called on the world community to consistently strengthen political and economic sanctions against Russia.
He emphasized that the lack of the expected effect of the sanctions does not mean that they should be abolished.
“Effective sanctions are certainly expensive. However, war and the discrediting of the main provisions and principles of international law are even more expensive, ”Priestayko quoted Interfax.
In turn, the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Dmitry Kuleba, announced the existence of a “12-step plan” during which “Crimea will slip out of Russia's weakened arms” and Ukraine will “intercept” it. He said this on the air of the radio "New time".
As Kuleba noted, “slipping out” of “weakened hands” is provided for by the last, 12th paragraph of the plan.
“And the way we come to the time of the weakening of Russia, how much the Ukrainian state will be ready to intercept what slip out of our hands — these are in the previous 11 paragraphs,” the Ukrainian official noted, without revealing the essence of these points, nor how they will be implemented.
On February 27, the Ukrainian Golos party presented a plan to “return Crimea and Donbass” to Kiev’s control. The plan is called Voice of Reason: A Cold De-Occupation Strategy and consists of eight steps. The latter involves the inclusion in the Norman format of the issue of the "liberation" of Crimea. At the same time, Moscow emphasized that the Norman format of negotiations does not include the topic of the status of Crimea, and the issue itself is finally closed.
- View of the city of Sevastopol
- Reuters
- © Alexey Malgavko
State Duma deputy from the Crimea Ruslan Balbek in a conversation with RT noted that such a plan is absolutely meaningless.
“The plan can be safely hidden under the cloth for the simple reason that it is doomed to failure in advance,” the parliamentarian explained.
Separately, Balbek commented on the issue of the "return" of Crimea.
“It is useless to talk with Crimean residents - they will not return to Ukraine,” the deputy concluded.
In turn, Alexey Martynov called such statements by the Ukrainian side ridiculous. According to him, the Kiev leadership will not only not achieve the return of Donbass and Crimea to Ukraine, but moreover, by tearing away the Russian-speaking population will only aggravate the situation.
“The circus continues, but the most interesting thing is that the Ukrainian state is rapidly melting against the backdrop of this circus, it simply disappears before our eyes. I’m afraid that in the medium term, after Crimea, not only the Donbass will rush to its native harbor, but also many other Russian-speaking parts of this post-Soviet country, ”the expert noted.
Closed question
The Crimea peninsula was transferred to Ukraine in 1954, and after the collapse of the USSR remained in its composition. Against the backdrop of the events of 2014 in Ukraine, when a change of power took place as a result of the coup, the residents of Crimea expressed a desire to reunite with the Russian Federation. In March 2014, a referendum was held on the peninsula, during which more than 90% of residents voted to become part of Russia.
The USA and Western European countries call the incident annexation; after the referendum, they imposed sanctions on hundreds of companies and politicians from Russia.
In Kiev, the peninsula is called the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory. Moscow has repeatedly pointed out that the transfer of Crimea to the Russian Federation was carried out in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter, and senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have stated that the issue of the territorial affiliation of Crimea is “completely closed”.
“Neither Zelensky, nor politicians in Washington, nor anyone else ... Crimea has already returned to Russia for six years, and there it’s a fundamentally different life than it was in those twenty-odd years under Ukrainian jurisdiction. The Crimea has excellent infrastructure, happy people who value Russian citizenship. They voluntarily returned to Russia, to their native harbor. And Crimea is Russia forever, ”emphasized Alexei Martynov.