Sustainable Peace Impossible If Crimea Remains Occupied - Kuleba

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said that peace will not be prolonged if Russia retains control over one or another part of Ukraine, in particular Crimea.

He said this in a speech at the Black Sea Security Conference in Bucharest, which was organized under the auspices of the International Crimean Platform, European Pravda reports.

Kuleba recalled that in fact the war began not on February 24, 2022, but with Russia's hybrid invasion of Crimea and occupation of the peninsula.

"If the history of the last century and the last decades can teach us something, it is because the world needs real peace, not peace. Real peace means that it is necessary to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine in internationally recognized borders. This means that the Crimean Tatars will have a safe homeland in the Ukrainian Crimea. This would mean grain carriers, not warships, in the Black Sea. The real peace is when international law rules in the world, not power," the Foreign Minister said.

He stressed that it is fundamentally important for Ukraine not only to win in this stage of the war, but also to ensure lasting peace.

"If Russia retains Crimea, it will once again use it as a springboard for a new invasion of Ukraine and full control over the Black Sea. We will not allow that. That is why we will liberate every piece of our territory and each of our citizens. That is why we call for the demilitarization of the Black Sea," said Kuleba.

Recall that during the occupation of Crimea, Russia illegally moved there from 500,000 to 800,000 Russians.

Earlier, Zelenskyy said that the de-occupation of temporarily captured Crimea is no alternative not only for Ukraine, but also for the whole world.