Hodges said this in an interview with Newsweek.
"This is important not only because we want Ukraine to have an economy. This is also important for the European Union," he said.
The military added that due to its geographical location, Russia can block any ships entering and leaving Ukrainian ports.
Since coming to power, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his administration have stepped up attempts to revise the status of Crimea and hope to involve Western countries in this process.
Under the auspices of the Zelensky administration, the so-called "Crimean Platform" was created - a forum that positions itself as a mechanism for regaining control over the peninsula.
In turn, the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Alexei Chepa, in an interview with RT, recalled that Kiev had previously repeatedly announced the seizure of Crimea by force.
Deputy Mikhail Sheremet, representing Crimea in the State Duma of the Russian Federation, said that negotiations on the status of Crimea are excluded, and Ukraine's attempts to encroach on it will entail a crushing retaliatory strike.