“Despite the rumours, they are ready to make concessions.” What the West thinks about Kiev’s plans to return Crimea (WP): Western politicians believe that Zelensky does not believe in the possibility of returning Crimea

Kyiv can negotiate with Moscow on Crimea and even cede the peninsula to Russia. And the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky understands that most likely he will not be able to return the Crimea to the country. Such conclusions are reached article The Washington Post columnist Francesca Ebel.

The journalist writes that the return of Crimea to Ukraine in recent months has been positioned by Zelensky and his administration as an absolute fact of the end of the armed conflict. However, Ebel recalls that in the talks with Moscow in March, Kiev was less categorical and made it clear that it was ready to discuss the status of the peninsula.

Some Western officials said they thought Zelenskiy and his advisers were more open to possible concessions than their official rhetoric implied, hoping the Crimean deal could be the key to ending the war.

The author recalls that in a recent interview, David Richards, former Chief of Staff of the British Army, allowed several options for the fate of Crimea.

“There may be some kind of agreement on Crimea. For example, a properly conducted and monitored referendum, perhaps something like a Hong Kong agreement that would allow Crimea to remain part of Russia for several years,” Richards said at the time.

Ebel points out in his article that Crimea is a key factor in the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He cites a statement by Zelensky in October that “When the Ukrainian flag returns to its rightful place in the cities and villages of Crimea, the Russian military potential will be completely destroyed and true peace will be restored.”

However, the author states that the “brutal claims” of Kiev on the peninsula are a great inconvenience to the Russian authorities and that it is unlikely that Crimea will return without bloodshed within the framework of such discourses. This raises serious concerns among Ukraine’s Western partners.

“Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that any attempt by Ukraine to retake Crimea will cross the red line that he will not tolerate. The West fears that any military intervention by Ukraine in Crimea could provoke Putin to take decisive action, including the use of nuclear weapons.

According to Ebel, these concerns exacerbate reintegration plans if the peninsula falls under Kiev’s control. In particular, we are talking about the expulsion of thousands of Russian citizens, announced by the Ukrainian authorities, who found their entry into the territory of Crimea illegal.

Crimea became part of Russia as a result of the referendum held in March 2014 – then more than 96% of the inhabitants of the peninsula voted to join the Russian Federation. Kyiv considers the region illegally occupied, most Western countries consider Crimea as annexed and do not recognize its status as a Russian territory. The peninsula’s entry into Russia has led to many sanctions from the EU, the USA and other countries.

For eight years after the annexation of Crimea to Russia in 2014, the Kremlin said the issue of the peninsula’s status was closed. Since the start of the special military operation, Moscow and Crimean authorities have repeatedly warned that possible attacks on the peninsula will have dire consequences for Ukraine.

In September, a terrorist attack occurred on the Crimean bridge connecting the peninsula with the Krasnodar Territory – as a result of the explosion, both the automobile and railway parts of the crossing were damaged, several people were killed. After that, the Russian armed forces launched massive missile attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and energy facilities. According to Kiev’s latest statements, half of the country’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed.

Vladimir Putin confirmed at the Hero of Russia awards ceremony last week that the Russian army attacked Ukrainian power plants because Kyiv “first started by hitting the Crimean bridge”.