The Fourth Crimea Platform Summit started in Kyiv on September 11, 2024, with over 60 participants being present.
President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, noted that thanks to the Crimea Platform, it had become possible to return and strengthen the world’s attention to the Russian occupation of the Ukrainian Crimea.
“We are now, in particular, thanks to the Crimea Platform, thanks to all our diplomatic efforts, thanks to the resistance of our people, our warriors, absolutely clearly forcing Russia to reality, namely, to international law, to the power of world solidarity as well as to the need to restore for Ukraine a full justice and, in the end, reliable peace for our entire land, for all our people,” the President said.
President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, emphasized that Lithuania would never recognize the occupation of Ukrainian territories and would be always demanding Russia to withdraw its troops.
“We also support the set-up of a special international tribunal to prosecute those responsible for the crime of aggression,” the Lithuanian president said.
Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, assured Ukraine of further support, in particular, of assistance to the energy sector, demining, treatment of the military, and recreation for Ukrainian children.
“And, of course, what few other countries can give you, this is the experience of our public prosecutors, our judges, our specialized police units in investigating war crimes,” he said.
Prime Minister of Latvia, Evika Siliņa noted that all foreign leaders came to personally participate in the fourth summit of the international Crimea Platform in order to confirm that Crimea is Ukraine, and Russia will lose this war. Evika Siliņa also announced the third package of military aid since the beginning of this year that would include, in particular, armored vehicles and drones.
“We are deeply sure that future of Ukraine is in the fair peace, safety, and welfare among other allies and partners in the Euro-Atlantic community”, she summed up.
“Crimea is a reminder that Putin didn’t launch his invasion in February 2022 – but over a decade ago, in February 2014. At the time, some argued that if only Ukraine were to hand over Crimea, Putin would be satisfied, and the threat of Russian aggression would subside. Putin’s aggression since that time have punctured that myth – demonstrating that he will never be sated with just part of Ukraine”, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, stated.
Mr. Blinken is sure that Putin wants all of Ukraine, as he openly says that he wants to reconstitute Russia’s empire.
“Crimea is about what Ukrainians are fighting for. In Crimea – and in all of Ukraine – Ukrainians fight for the inalienable right of people to choose their own future, and to have their human rights respected. They fight for the right of nations to have their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, their independence respected – principles at the very heart of the United Nations Charter”, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, said.
He emphasized that sham elections, forcible transfer of children from Crimea, arbitrary detention of activists, repressions of non-Russian culture, language, religion were not isolated cases, but a blueprint for how Russia was governing every part of Ukraine that it occupied. Mr. Blinken also stressed out Ukraine’s success in damaging a third of Russia’s fleet and establishing maritime corridor.
President of European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen brought into focus that over ten years of occupation, Crimea had been a testing ground for the brutal tactics Russia was using now across occupied Ukraine. “The tragic echoes of the Soviet-era deportation of Crimean Tatars reverberate today. The disappearances, the torture, the attempted deletion of Tatar culture, and the persecution of journalists and human rights defenders.”
Ursula von der Leyen assured that Europe was standing with Ukraine in documenting each and every one of the crimes and would help ensure that justice would be served, because “For peace without justice is no peace at all.”
“True peace is one that ensures war cannot return. A peace that allows people to focus on their future. This is why Ukraine’s integration into the European Union is at the heart of our efforts”, Ursula von der Leyen emphasized.
President of European Commission pointed out that Europe had backed Ukraine since day one of the full-scale aggression and had provided Ukraine with over 118 billion euros in support so far, with much more to come. She also claimed that President Putin’s attempts to crush Ukraine’s spirit had failed, and instead, Ukraine was standing strong.
“Our peoples have never been closer. Together, we will endure and prevail, united as we are in our commitment to a free and democratic Ukraine,” Ursula von der Leyen said.
William Taylor, Vice President for Europe and Russia at the U.S. Institute of Peace and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009, stressed out that the military defeat of Putin’s army was the way to achieve peace in Ukraine. An important factor is the maximum consolidation of all international partners, allies of Ukraine, who will be able to fight back in the form of sanctions, diplomatic isolation of the Russian Federation from the civilized world.
Mr. Taylor was sure, “When Putin realizes that the Ukrainians will not give up, that the Americans will continue to supply weapons and funding to Ukraine. When he realizes that the Europeans will not give up and stop supporting Ukraine, then he will realize that he cannot win and will have to look for another way out.”
The violation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Crimea was also discussed at the Crimea Platform Summit.
Nariman Dzhelial, First Deputy Chairman of Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People, speaking to the audience in Crimean Tatar, said that the representative body of the Crimean Tatar people demanded the release of all Ukrainian military and civilian prisoners from Russian prisons, that was also mentioned in the framework of the Ukrainian Peace Formula proposed by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi. This was momentous, especially considering the fact that the Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people had been captured by the Russian occupiers in Crimea in 2021 after participating in the first Inaugural Summit of the Crimean Platform and held in captivity all this time. Nariman Dzhelial was returned from Russian captivity as part of the reciprocal release of civilian prisoners on June 28, 2024.
“Ukraine has been resisting Russian aggression for the eleventh year. Russia’s goal has not changed over the centuries — it is trying to destroy the independent Ukrainian state and enslave the Ukrainian nation,” Nariman Dzhelial said. He emphasized that any land-for-peace accords would fail to lead to the desired peace, just opposite, they would primarily be an injustice to the indigenous peoples of Ukraine, first of all, due to consistent violations of human rights by the occupiers, political persecutions, and arrests of everybody dissenting with the Russian occupation. The Mejlis Deputy Chairman added that since the first days of the Russian occupation, the indigenous peoples of Ukraine had been the most consolidated in supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and it was for this reason that they had been suffering the harshest repressions from the Russian occupiers. He is convinced: “Ukraine seeks reconciliation and peace more than anyone else, but this reconciliation cannot be achieved through compromises with conscience, territory and independence.”
Finally, on behalf of the Mejlis, Nariman Dzhelial expressed gratitude to the President of Ukraine for supporting initiatives to restore the rights of indigenous peoples of Ukraine. “The liberation and reintegration of Crimea should be connected with the process of restoring the rights of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people, including political rights,” he concluded.
More than 60 participants from different countries at the level of presidents, prime ministers, and representatives attended the summit this time. This once again demonstrates the global support of Ukraine within the limits of international law.
The materials used have been taken from the websites of the President of Ukraine and the Crimea Platform.
