In case anyone was wondering – due to the mixed messages being sent out by the Trump administration – what the U.S. stand really is on Russia’s occupation of Crimea, the answer came on July 25 in the form of a statement titled “Crimea Declaration.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thus announced a formal policy reaffirming U.S. rejection of “Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea.” At the same time, he underscored that the U.S. would “maintain this policy until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored.” He also called on Russia “to respect the principles to which it has long claimed to adhere and to end its occupation of Crimea.”