The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stressed that Crimea's status as Ukrainian territory is not up for debate. Shortly before that, the Ukrainian media reported that the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry, Radosław Sikorski, suggested considering the transfer of the peninsula under a UN mandate to end the war with Russia.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry statement did not mention Sikorsky, nor did it say who exactly was trying to discuss the status of Crimea. However, the comment posted on the official website is titled "Regarding unacceptable proposals for the future status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol".
"Ukraine's territorial integrity has never been and cannot be subject to discussion or compromise. Crimea is Ukraine. Period," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. — Crimea is the center of gravity of the European security architecture. Its complete restoration is possible only after the complete de-occupation of the entire territory of Ukraine, including the Ukrainian peninsula.
As the Interfax-Ukraine agency reported, Sikorsky made the statement about Crimea during a discussion at the 20th international conference in Kyiv, organized by the Viktor Pinchuk Foundation.
Judging by this quote, Sikorsky thinks it is possible to compromise with Crimea to end the war. "Crimea is symbolically important for Russia and especially for Putin, but strategically important for Ukraine. Therefore, I do not see how they can reach an agreement without the demilitarization of Crimea," Sikorsky quoted the agency as saying. "We can put it under a UN mandate with the mission to prepare a fair referendum after checking who is the legal resident and so on... And we can delay it for 20 years."
On Thursday morning, the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak also reacted to these statements, who also wrote on his Telegram channel that "Crimea is Ukraine".
Sikorski and other Polish representatives did not comment further on the situation.
In February 2014, Russia occupied Crimea, a region that until then was part of Ukraine with the status of an autonomous republic. This took place in the context of the political crisis caused by the fall of the pro-Russian president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych. The operation was carried out by the Russian armed forces and pro-Kremlin armed formations called "green men" (military without insignia). On March 16, 2014, a referendum was held in Crimea, which Russian officials said showed 97% support for joining Russia. This vote was organized under the conditions of occupation and was widely criticized as illegitimate by Ukraine and the international community.
The international community has categorically condemned Russia's actions. The United Nations, the European Union, the United States and a number of other countries and organizations did not recognize the referendum and declared the Russian annexation of Crimea illegal. In March 2014, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that reaffirmed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea. As a result of these actions, sanctions were imposed against Russia, targeting individuals, companies and sectors of the Russian economy.
At the height of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, talks were held between Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Istanbul, Turkey. During these negotiations, an idea about the status of Crimea was discussed. The proposal included a temporary "freeze" on the question of the status of Crimea for a period of 15 years, during which time the status of the peninsula would be subject to diplomatic negotiations. In return, Ukraine asked for security guarantees from the international community.
Russia, for its part, continues to claim that Crimea is "an indivisible part of the territory of the Russian Federation." Russian authorities, for their part, say the Crimea issue is non-negotiable, with President Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian officials repeatedly stressing that Crimea is "Russian territory forever."
This position is part of Russia's broader policy of strengthening control over the peninsula, which is strategically important due to its location on the Black Sea and the military base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Recently, however, Crimea has come within range of Ukrainian drones and long-range missiles delivered to Kiev from the west. This forced Russia to move most of its Black Sea fleet to other, more distant ports. The repeated attacks on ferries carrying military cargo between the peninsula and Krasnodar Krai (mainland of Russia) have greatly hampered the logistics of the Russian military. Ukraine proved that the Crimean bridge is not invulnerable either, after organizing the blowing up of a part of it.