Kuleba: De-occupation of Crimea inevitable
Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba says Russia’s departure from the Black Sea Crimea Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, is “inevitable.” In an interview with RFE/RL, Mr. Kuleba said that Crimea’s “de-occupation” won’t be stopped, even by the controversial constitutional amendments – one of which reiterates the “inviolability of Russian borders” – approved in a vote in Russia on July 1. “We insist that this [annexation] is temporary, that an illegal occupation is taking place, emphasizing that this is a temporary phenomenon, it is illegal and, under international law, this is an act of occupation,” Mr. Kuleba said. He added that it was very unlikely Russia will agree to take part in talks directly focusing on Crimea’s de-occupation, so the notion of the peninsula returning to Ukrainian hands must be gradually included on the agenda by Ukraine and the international community.