Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared that “Crimea is Ukraine” and warned that lasting peace cannot be achieved if an aggressor is rewarded for war.
In a statement shared on February 26, the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea, Zelenskyy said the international community’s muted response to Russia’s 2014 occupation of Crimea emboldened further aggression.
“When we say that the aggressor must not receive any reward for the war, so that peace can truly last, everyone must understand – these are not just words. Unfortunately, the world already had the chance to verify this twelve years ago,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy Recalls How Russia-Ukraine War Began
The Ukrainian president, in his statement, recalled that Russia’s war against Ukraine began with the occupation of Crimea.
He said the world had effectively turned a blind eye to the takeover, with international leaders showing little interest in the protests and resistance in Crimea or in Ukraine’s overall sentiment.
“The leaders back then showed little interest in the protests and resistance in Crimea and in Ukraine’s overall sentiment,” he noted.
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Further, Zelenskyy added that the global advice for Ukraine was to remain silent, which he says encouraged the Russian President to believe he could launch a larger war and confront the West more aggressively.
“That is exactly why Putin came to believe he could wage a much larger war and confront the West even more aggressively,” he wrote.
Zelenskyy on Crimea Resistance Day
The president said that every year on February 26, the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea, Ukraine remembers the global lesson of standing against aggression.
He added that the day honours those who did not remain silent or falter in the face of Russian actions and stressed that holding the aggressor accountable is a key security guarantee and a prerequisite for lasting peace.
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“We remember this global lesson, honouring those who did not stay silent and did not falter in the face of Russian aggression,” he explained.
Additionally, he expressed gratitude to international partners supporting Ukraine, including those involved in the Crimea Platform and other initiatives that draw attention to the significance of Crimea and its occupation by Russia.
He thanked those assisting Ukraine in resisting Russian repression in Crimea, helping return people from captivity, and preventing the occupying regime from consolidating power.
“There must be peace, and therefore Crimea is Ukraine, and the world must always recognise this fact,” he concluded.
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