Kremlin dismisses Crimea suggestion
Date
9/23/2024 4:20:06 AM
(MENAFN) Moscow has vehemently dismissed a recent proposal by Poland suggesting that Crimea be placed under United Nations administration for a period of 20 years. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for President Vladimir Putin, firmly stated that no discussions regarding Russian territory would take place, labeling the idea as “absurd.”
Peskov's remarks came in response to comments made by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who had argued that making Crimea a United Nations mandate territory could be beneficial. Sikorski characterized the territory as “symbolically important for Russia” while simultaneously recognizing its “strategically important” role for Ukraine. He proposed that a United Nations mission could oversee the region and prepare it for a referendum in two decades, contingent on determining legal residency eligibility.
This proposal was also met with resistance from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, which emphasized that Ukraine’s territorial integrity is non-negotiable and cannot be subject to compromise. Since its annexation by Russia in 2014, Crimea has been a focal point of contention between Moscow and Kyiv. Residents of Crimea and Sevastopol voted overwhelmingly to rejoin Russia shortly after the Maidan coup, which led to the ousting of the Ukrainian government.
The Kremlin maintains that Crimea, along with the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics and the regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye—recently incorporated into Russia in September 2023—are not open for negotiation. Russian lawmaker Leonid Ivlev echoed this sentiment, stating that the people of Crimea “returned to Russia a decade ago” and expressed disdain for what he described as Western interference, referring to Sikorski’s proposal.
In a provocative counter-suggestion, Ivlev proposed that western Poland itself could be placed under a United Nations mandate instead, highlighting the complexities and tensions surrounding territorial disputes in the region. This incident underscores the continuing geopolitical strife and differing narratives regarding the status of Crimea and surrounding areas, as both Russia and Ukraine stand firm in their positions.
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