At the summit of the Crimean Platform, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that he would “return Crimea without consulting other countries”.
Zelensky said (according to RIA Novosti) “Ukraine will return the Crimean peninsula from Russia as it sees right, and it does not need to consult other countries for this.”
According to him, the return of Crimea to Ukrainian control is a “revival of the world legal order”.
Zelensky added that Ukraine will not freeze the front line to “pacify Russia”. He claims that Moscow “does not think and does not think about dialogue.” At the same time, Zelensky is confident that the world will be in danger if the Ukrainian allies make it clear that they are tired of conflict.
France: “No spirit of compromise”
French President Emmanuel Macron, in his speech on the internet, said that there should be no weakness against Moscow.
“Russia made its choice despite its commitments. We must not show any weakness, any spirit of compromise, because it is about freedom for everyone and everything and peace all over the world,” he stressed, and assured that Paris will continue to help Kiev.
Germany and Canada: “Any referendum will never be recognized”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also spoke at the summit.
“We will adhere to sanctions on an unprecedented scale against Russia. “We will financially support Ukraine and continue to supply weapons,” he said.
They announced that they agreed on a new “military aid” package consisting of air defense systems, missiles and “tons” of ammunition.
“Our message is that any referendum or other attempts to break up Ukraine will never be recognized. “All these measures will not allow for a negotiated solution,” he said.
Scholz also announced that German hospitals would accept injured Ukrainians. He said he plans to “intensify international efforts to end this conflict.”
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau also announced that new sanctions will be introduced against Russia from August 23. Thus, 62 Russians and a defense sector organization will be added to the sanction lists. According to Trudeau, “they take part in Russia’s war in Ukraine.” According to the Canadian Foreign Ministry, the “blacklists” included the Avtomatika concern (part of Roselectronics), former Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, and members of his family.
Justin Trudeau stressed that Ottawa’s restrictions do not apply to food. He also announced that Canadian authorities will assist the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and national police by providing the necessary equipment.
Poland: “Get rid of North Stream 2”
Polish President Andrzej Duda, who came to Kiev personally, said that Western countries should change their policies towards Russia. In particular, he urged his colleagues not only to stop Nord Stream 2, but also to “disassemble and liquidate the gas pipeline completely.” Duda has put forward such a proposal before – in April.
According to the Polish politician, there is no reason to return to the principle of “business as usual”. [«бизнес как обычно»]As for relations with Russia.
In response to this statement, the Russian Ambassador to Warsaw, Sergei Andreev, said that Poland does not have the authority to decide on the dismantling of Nord Stream 2.
“Actually, it’s more like a wish on behalf of the Polish President, who has nothing to do with Nord Stream and is not authorized to make such decisions. Naturally, this issue will depend entirely on other authorities and other countries.”
NATO: “Winter will be tough”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also announced his request to Western countries via the Crimea Platform: “I am actively interacting with the leaders, I urge them to provide more weapons and ammunition and faster.”
According to him, “the coming winter will be difficult.” “What we’re seeing right now is a debilitating war of attrition. This is a battle of wills and logistics. Therefore, we must provide long-term support to Ukraine for Ukraine to win as a sovereign and independent nation,” he said.
Stoltenberg promised that the alliance would “help Ukraine move from Soviet standards (weapons) to NATO standards, reform the defense and security sectors, and on the road to recovery.”
UK: “to help until Russia withdraws forces from Ukraine”
Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also confident that the West must provide aid to Ukraine. According to him, the partners should provide all kinds of military, humanitarian, economic and diplomatic support to “Ukrainian friends” until Russia “withdraws its forces from all Ukrainian lands”.
Johnson stressed that the West will never recognize Crimea as Russian, or that “any other region of Ukraine” will be annexed to the Russian Federation.
Turkey: “Let’s continue mediation in the resolution of the conflict”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara remained as it was to “resolve the conflict within the framework of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty”.
“We are determined to continue our efforts to mediate peace. “The cessation of the war and the restoration of calm and stability in the Black Sea basin will allow not only the region but the whole world to take a deep breath,” Erdogan said.
Japan: “We will do everything possible to restore Ukraine”
During the forum, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reminded that his country will become the head of the G7 next year. He promised to do everything possible for the speedy establishment and restoration of peace in Ukraine.
In addition, Kishida once again opposed Russia’s special operations in Ukraine. “As Prime Minister and a native of Hiroshima, I will never forgive the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons,” Kishida said.
Crimean Platform…
The international forum was held in Kiev for the second time. The participation was confirmed by about 60 countries and international organizations, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously reported. The chapter pointed out that the geography of the “platform” is expanding due to African countries and the other side of the Atlantic.
Basically, all participants perform online. In addition to Polish President Andrzej Duda, a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled for August 23 in Kiev.
The first summit was held on August 23 last year at the initiative of Ukraine. The topic of “the return of Crimea to Ukraine” was discussed at the meeting. Later, about 40 countries and international organizations participated in the event.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later called the “Crimean Platform” a “court”, and Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, said that this forum was an anti-Russian and extremely hostile event.