Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted in the evening of April 23 that the United States, under the previous administration led by Donald Trump, adopted the so-called “Crimea Declaration,” which affirms the unchanging position of non-recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea. In his statements, he provided a screenshot of the document from the U.S. State Department’s website to emphasize this policy.
This is reported by Київ24
Zelensky noted that this document was adopted on July 25, 2018, just ten days after the meeting of the U.S. and Russian presidents in Helsinki. The declaration emphasizes that “Russia, through its invasion of Ukraine and attempts to annex Crimea in 2014, sought to undermine the international principles upheld by democratic countries: no state can change the borders of another by force.” In this document, the U.S. reaffirmed its policy of non-recognition of the Kremlin’s claims to establish sovereignty over the occupied territories.
Context and Global Community Reaction
Zelensky, while summarizing the day’s events, reported that several countries, including Ukraine, the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, held a meeting in London to discuss peace issues. According to him, the participants expressed their positions and worked together to find pathways to lasting peace, treating each other with respect. The President also mentioned that the American side shared its vision, while the Ukrainian and European delegations presented their proposals.
“It is good that five countries met (in London – ed.) to bring peace closer. Ukraine, the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. The parties expressed their views and respectfully acknowledged each other’s positions. It is important that each side was not only present but also worked meaningfully. The American side shared its vision. Ukraine and other Europeans presented their proposals. And we hope that such joint work will lead to lasting peace. We are grateful to our partners. Ukraine will always act in accordance with its Constitution, and we are absolutely confident that our partners, including the U.S., will act according to their strong decisions,” Zelensky wrote on social media.
Earlier that same day, Trump expressed his views on Zelensky’s statement, calling it harmful to peaceful resolution and complicating the resolution of the conflict with Russia. The American leader noted on TruthSocial that “such inflammatory statements as Zelensky’s complicate the resolution of this war.”
It is important to emphasize that the “Crimea Declaration” was announced by the U.S. back in 2018 and affirms the unchanging policy of non-recognition of Russia’s annexation of the peninsula. The document states that “Russia, through its invasion of Ukraine and attempts to annex Crimea in 2014, sought to undermine the fundamental international principle upheld by democratic states: no country can change its borders by force.” The U.S. and its allies committed to maintaining this position until Ukraine’s integrity is restored.