Zelensky, "Crimea Will Be Recaptured... We Will End the War Here"

"Will Reclaim Territory Without Foreign Consent" Emphasizes War Intent
US Expected to Provide Additional $3 Billion Military Support... Concerns Over Large-Scale Clashes

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, officially declared his intention to reclaim the Crimean Peninsula, which was forcibly occupied by Russia in 2014. As the war with Russia enters its sixth month, and public opinion, especially in European countries, increasingly calls for peace negotiations, he expressed a strong will to continue the war. The United States is also expected to provide additional military aid worth $3 billion (approximately 4 trillion KRW), the largest single-scale support to date, raising concerns about large-scale clashes between Russia and Ukraine over the Crimean Peninsula.

On the 23rd (local time), President Zelensky, in his opening remarks at the international conference discussing the return of the Crimean Peninsula, the "Crimea Platform," stated, "Everything started in Crimea and will end in Crimea," adding, "We must liberate Crimea from Russian occupation. This will restore world law and order."

In a subsequent press conference, he emphasized, "We will use all means we believe are right to reclaim Crimea without consulting other countries," and "Russia has never considered dialogue and still does not. Ukraine will not agree to freeze the front line to appease Russia."

This is an official declaration to recover the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia forcibly annexed after a referendum following its occupation in 2014. Strategically located in the Black Sea, Crimea remains internationally recognized as Ukrainian territory under international law, but Russia has exercised effective control since the forced occupation in 2014.

President Zelensky's official declaration to aim for the recovery of Crimea is interpreted as a countermeasure against growing public opinion in Europe calling for an end to the war with Russia and the initiation of peace negotiations. Earlier in June, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), a European diplomatic and security think tank, conducted a survey of 8,000 citizens across 10 European countries, where over 35% of respondents said Ukraine should end the war even if it means ceding some territory to Russia. Only 22% responded that Russia must be defeated.

As the war enters its sixth month and the energy crisis intensifies, European countries are also reducing their support for Ukraine. The British daily The Telegraph, citing data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) in Germany, reported that in the new aid commitments Ukraine received last month, there was no contribution from six major European countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, France, Italy, and Spain.

However, the United States continues to provide military aid to Ukraine. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. government plans to announce additional military support worth $3 billion, the largest single-scale aid so far, timed to coincide with Ukraine's Independence Day on the 24th. With continued U.S. support, large-scale clashes between Ukraine and Russia are expected around the Crimean Peninsula on or around the 24th.

Meanwhile, the "Crimea Platform" is an international conference created by the Ukrainian government to secure international support for the return of Crimea. Representatives from 60 countries and international organizations reportedly participated in this online meeting.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.