On Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky posted to social media a 2018 post from the US State Department that pledged to respect Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty of Crimea.
“As we did in the Welles Declaration in 1940, the United States reaffirms as policy its refusal to recognize the Kremlin’s claims of sovereignty over territory seized by force in contravention of international law,” the Crimea Declaration, signed by then-State Secretary Mike Pompeo, read.
“In concert with allies, partners, and the international community, the United States rejects Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored.”
“The United States calls on Russia to respect the principles to which it has long claimed to adhere and to end its occupation of Crimea,” the statement read.
After months of failed ceasefires and peace talks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this weekend that the US would give Ukraine and Russia until the end of this week to resolve the years-long war.
Rubio announced at the 11th hour that he would not attend Wednesday’s planned meeting in London on ending Russia’s invasion. Consequently, talks resumed without a Cabinet-level US delegate present.
This decision follows a statement made by Zelensky on Tuesday that while Ukraine is prepared to engage in US-brokered peace negotiations, it is not willing to agree to the White House’s insistence that it cede Crimea and other Ukrainian regions to Russia.
Although the details of the negotiated peace agreement have not been made public, rumors that the Kremlin has offered to freeze the war in exchange for formal recognition of Crimea as part of Russia or for some territorial swaps have raised alarm in Ukraine.
Zelensky posted about the Crimea question, saying that “emotions are running high” these days. “The American side shared its vision. Ukraine and other Europeans presented their inputs. And we hope that it is exactly such joint work that will lead to lasting peace.”
Even more recently, on Feb. 26, 2020, during Trump’s first administration, Pompeo stressed the same in a State Department release, entitled “Crimea is Ukraine”.
“February 27 will mark the sixth anniversary of Russia’s attempted annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, and the United States affirms Crimea is Ukraine,” the Secretary of State wrote. “We call on Russia to end its occupation of Crimea.”