The Second Summit of the Crimea Platform initiated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took place. Representatives of about 60 foreign countries and international organizations took part in its work. In particular, the leaders of the G7, representatives of the African continent and Latin American countries joined the event.
Due to security requirements given the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, this year the summit was held in the format of a video conference. President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda personally came to Kyiv to participate in the event.
Opening the summit, the Ukrainian Head of State noted that Ukraine has a well-elaborated vision of how to restore our Crimean peninsula after the expulsion of the Russian invaders.
"That is why we are adding two more directions to the work of the Crimea Platform: economic and legislative directions. We have a strategy for the restoration of Crimea - today it will be presented as part of the economic panel. And we are creating a legislative foundation for Crimea - after deoccupation, as well as for all those for whom Crimea is much more than even home," the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also announced that this year the Crimea Platform will have a continuation in the form of a parliamentary summit in the autumn in Croatia.
“No longer online, with the presence of parliamentary delegations of the world. We use all the power of democracies to protect our state and the international legal order,” he said.
During the event, the participants considered the issues of security and human rights on the peninsula occupied by Russia, as well as the restoration of the Autonomous Republic after liberation.
During his speech at the summit, President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda emphasized that Crimea has always remained a part of Ukraine, and it is impossible to put up with Russia's occupation of the peninsula.
"After the crimes, after the Russian war against Ukraine, the ruins and destruction of Ukrainians, we cannot return to the line that existed before February 23 of this year. It is necessary to liberate the entire territory of Ukraine, together with Crimea, within internationally recognized borders," said Andrzej Duda.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who joined the summit online, emphasized that the Ukrainian people have the right to defend themselves and defend their Crimea from the Russian invasion.
"Today we remind the world that Crimea is within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine. Crimea is part of Ukraine, not Russia," he said and added that Canada would continue to support our country.
In particular, as Justin Trudeau said, his country, together with its partners, will continue sanctions against 1,750 individuals and organizations from Russia and Belarus. Canada will also provide financial support to strengthen the fight against Russian disinformation.
Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz noted that the international community will never accept the imperialist illegal annexation of the territories of Ukraine by Russia.
"This summit demonstrates that Ukraine's partners are more united than ever," he is convinced.
The Chancellor assured of Germany's decisive and unwavering support for Ukraine.
"We have unprecedented sanctions, we are implementing them together with our partners. We support Ukraine financially and continue to provide weapons. We are providing a new package that also includes some air defense systems," said Olaf Scholz and added that Germany is also actively working on the future recovery of Ukraine.
Prime Minister of Great Britain Boris Johnson emphasized that since the beginning of the annexation of Crimea by Russia, there has been a brutal violation of human rights on the peninsula, and Crimea has turned into a military bridgehead for attacks on other territories of Ukraine. In his opinion, the world community should not allow changes in the borders of states by force of arms.
"In the face of Putin's attack, we must continue to provide our Ukrainian friends with all the military support, humanitarian, economic, and diplomatic assistance they need, until Russia stops this terrible war and withdraws its power from the entire territory of Ukraine without exception," the Prime Minister of Great Britain urged.
President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron noted that by occupying the Ukrainian Crimea, Russia violated the fundamental norms of international law. "France defends the rules that regulate international relations and guarantee international security. That is why France has always supported the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine and will continue to do so," he said.
"The struggle for Crimea is part of the struggle for the liberation of Ukraine. In February, Russian troops used Crimea as a springboard to attack the southern regions of Ukraine. They are using Crimea to create military pressure on other territories, in particular on Mykolaiv and Odesa," Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi emphasized in the video.
President of the European Council Charles Michel noted that Russia's aggression against the Ukrainian people began with Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. He noted that Russia has turned Crimea into a springboard for invading other regions of Ukraine, and by blocking Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, it has provoked a food crisis in the world.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, for her part, emphasized that the EU has stood with Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion and will continue to help as long as necessary.
"Putin wanted to deprive Ukraine of its independence and bright future. But something else happened. Tomorrow, Ukraine will not only celebrate the 31st anniversary of its independence - now Ukraine has become a candidate for EU membership," she said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted the importance of the Crimea Platform Summit, whose participants must insist that Crimea is Ukraine.
"We must increase international pressure and increase the price for President Putin and his supporters until the rights of the Ukrainian people and sovereign Ukraine are restored," he said and emphasized the importance of maintaining humanitarian, security and diplomatic support for Ukraine.
Antony Blinken also congratulated all Ukrainians on the upcoming Independence Day.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated: during the six months of Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine, our people demonstrated their ability to resist aggression, as well as the fact that Putin will not be able to break the Ukrainians. NATO stands in total solidarity with Ukraine, its member states support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state, the right to defend our land and choose a path in the future.
"President Putin started this unjustified war. He must stop it himself and withdraw his military power from Ukrainian soil," said the NATO Secretary General and added that the countries of the Alliance have helped and will help Ukraine in the exercise of its sovereign right to defend itself from the enemy by providing various types of aid and equipment. NATO will be with Ukraine as long as necessary, Jens Stoltenberg said.
"The Crimea Platform is an extremely important tool that unites many countries and organizations. All of them stand for the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine. We all stand for the return of the temporarily occupied territories to Ukraine, for the return of human rights, international law," said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the video, adding that his country would continue to support Ukraine and its people.
Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida emphasized that Russia's aggression against Ukraine is an outrageous act that shook the foundations of the international order not only in Europe, but also in Asia. He stated that as a person born in Hiroshima, he would never tolerate the use or threat of nuclear weapons. Fumio Kishida reminded that Japan has introduced tough sanctions against the Russian Federation, provided financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including defense equipment.
President of Slovenia Borut Pahor, President of Finland Sauli Niinistö, Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili, President of Latvia Egils Levits, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, President of Estonia Alar Karis, President of Slovakia Zuzana Čaputová, President of Moldova Maia Sandu, President of Guatemala Alejandro Giammattei Falla, President of Suriname Chandrikapersad Santokhi, Secretary-General of the UN António Guterres, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the OSCE Helga Schmid, Secretary General of GUAM Altai Efendiev and other world leaders also delivered video addresses to the attendees.
Following the Summit, the participants adopted a Joint Statement.
