Zelenskyy reminds the US of their own position on Crimea

The US rejected Russia’s annexation of Crimea

The danger of allowing Russian narratives to dominate the Russia-Ukraine war was highlighted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he reminded the U.S. what it had said in 2018. Russia had operated a lightning invasion of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 following the ousting of pro-Russian Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych.

International condemnation was swift. "The United States rejects Russia's attempted annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy until Ukraine's territorial integrity is restored," stated then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during Donald Trump's presidency at the time.

Ukraine open to full peace negotiations

This is the position that Zelenskyy recently referred to on Wednesday after President Trump accused him of trying to prolong the war. The Ukrainian president said that Ukraine is ready for any format of negotiations that might bring a ceasefire and open the door to full peace negotiations, as he mourned nine civilians killed when a Russian drone struck a bus earlier in the day.

Russia insists that Ukraine must cede Crimea and other occupied regions for peace. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukrainian forces must withdraw for any accord. Trump has criticized Zelensky for not accepting Russia's control of Crimea. Even if there was any support for this, it would require a change to the Ukrainian constitution.

(Michael Leahy. Photo: Анна Иларионова from Pixabay)