Polish Foreign Minister proposes to place Crimea under UN mandate
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski (Getty Images)
Crimea plays a crucial role in possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. Therefore, one of the options for resolving the issue of the peninsula may be to place it under a UN mandate, says Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski at the 20th annual YES meeting in Kyiv.
“Crimea is symbolically important for Russia, especially for (Russian leader Vladimir - ed.) Putin, but it is strategically important for Ukraine. I do not see how peace can be achieved without the demilitarization of Crimea,” he said.
Sikorski suggested that one of the possible solutions could be to place the peninsula under a UN mandate to hold a fair referendum after the legitimate residents are identified.
“We could put it under a UN mandate with a mission to prepare a fair referendum after verifying who the legitimate residents are... And we could postpone it for 20 years,” he said.
Sikorski emphasized that the West, especially the United States, made a mistake by advising Ukraine not to fight for Crimea in 2014.
“If Ukrainians had fought for Crimea, even symbolically, perhaps Putin would not have dared to aggress in Donbas,” he added.
Returning Crimea
In August, a representative of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, Andrii Yusov, said that the Ukrainian command had a plan to completely destroy the illegally built Kerch Bridge and liberate the occupied Crimea.
In July 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the Crimean Bridge was one of the key targets for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
During the opening of the national memorial dedicated to the tragedy of the Crimean Tatar people, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine would continue to fight until Crimea is liberated from the occupier.
