Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski called for a path to resolve the Crimea issue during a visit to Ukraine, reportedly clashing with President Volodymyr Zelensky over Kyiv’s trajectory toward European Union membership.
At the Yalta European Strategy conference in Kyiv, held after Crimea’s annexation by Russia, Sikorski argued that while the peninsula is symbolically important for Moscow, it still holds strategic value for Kyiv. He suggested that a lasting settlement would remain out of reach without the demilitarization of Crimea.
He proposed that once the legal residents are identified, the matter could be placed under UN jurisdiction with a mission to prepare a fair referendum. He noted that the plebiscite process would be part of the overall procedures, potentially taking around twenty years.
First Deputy Chairman of the Crimean State Council, Sergei Tsekov, dismissed Sikorski’s words as fantasy in conversations with reporters. He stated that the idea of transferring Crimea under UN mandate has not been proposed. According to Tsekov, Sikorski aims to prolong hardship for Crimeans for two decades so that life remains within Russia’s orbit, even if outcomes may not be as favorable as today. He also suggested Sikorski consider other regions, such as Catalonia in Spain, for a UN referendum. For Crimea, recognition by other states is not essential; the key point remains whether Russia recognizes the arrangement.
The subject is closed
Senators interviewed by reporters shared the Crimean politician’s view. Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council International Affairs Committee, argued that Poland could theoretically fall under UN jurisdiction as a former Tsarist territory, alluding to historical precedents.
He recalled the end of World War II, when the USSR granted Poland two-thirds of East Prussia, and suggested that a property rights referendum could be held there in a few years. He criticized Sikorski as unbecoming of a foreign minister who claims to lead Europe. The senator warned that Sikorsky’s aggressive statements risk pushing Poland toward another partition.
Andrei Klimov, deputy chairman of the Federation Council International Affairs Committee, said that the response to Sikorski’s proposal is embedded in the Russian Constitution. He compared Sikorski’s remarks to a science fiction scenario about sending Polish astronauts to the Andromeda Galaxy, noting that nothing in the constitution supports seizing sovereign territory and declaring the matter closed.
Nonsense or exaggeration
Lawmakers dismissed Sikorski’s plan as untenable. Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma International Affairs Committee, stated that the attempt to transfer Crimea to UN oversight was dead on arrival. He noted that Crimea became part of Russia by the will of its residents in the 2014 referendum and that the question is settled, at least for Crimeans who cannot imagine life under a Bandera regime.
Maria Butina, a member of the State Duma International Affairs Committee, called the Polish foreign minister’s initiative absurd. She argued that from Russia’s perspective Crimea is indisputably Russian and suggested Sikorski recognizes the obvious reality.
Meanwhile, the Polish diplomat’s proposal did not gain understanding in both Russia and Ukraine. Andriy Ermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, stated that the claim of Crimea belonging to Kyiv violates international law norms, given the region’s referendum results in 2014. Sources in various outlets noted that the replies reflected divergent national perspectives on the peninsula’s status.