23/09/26
By AfterPost
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that a return to normal life for Ukraine and the world is impossible without the de-occupation of Crimea, using the Crimea Platform summit to tie territorial sovereignty to global food, energy, and legal security.
Speaking to international partners, Zelensky said lasting peace cannot exist while Russia occupies Ukrainian land and holds Ukrainian prisoners.
*"We want Russia, which started this war and is stealing land, to be held accountable,"* Zelensky said.
He stressed that the war's costs extend far beyond the battlefield:
*"Today, people in many countries are paying more simply to live, while others are forced to fight for their lives just because one man decided he could redraw borders however he wanted,"* he added, in a direct reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
*Crimea Platform: Prisoners, Law, Accountability*
The Crimea Platform, launched in 2021 to coordinate international efforts to return Crimea, has become a central forum for accountability.
Zelensky said three principles must guide any peace:
*1. Sovereignty and International Law:* No peace deal can legitimize the redrawing of borders by force. Respect for territorial integrity is non-negotiable.
*2. Accountability for Crimes:* Ukrainians living under Russian occupation in Crimea and other occupied regions, as well as thousands held in Russian prisons, must retain hope that justice will come. Russia must be held legally accountable for war crimes, deportations, and political persecution.
*3. Global Security — Food and Energy:* The occupation of Crimea turned the Black Sea into a war zone, threatening grain exports and energy routes. Restoration of Ukrainian control is linked to world food security.
*Black Sea Offer*
In a notable diplomatic signal, Kyiv said it is ready to guarantee safe navigation in the Black Sea if Moscow takes real steps toward de-escalation.
The offer comes as Ukraine has pushed Russian Black Sea Fleet from western Crimea through drone and missile strikes, reopening a grain corridor without Russia's participation.
Ukraine's position remains: de-escalation must include withdrawal, not just a ceasefire that freezes occupation.
*Context:*
Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and launched full-scale invasion in Feb 2022. Ukraine says Crimea is central to any peace formula, while Moscow claims it is Russian territory.
Zelensky's message at Crimea Platform: There is no "normal" while occupation continues — for Ukrainians under occupation, for prisoners in Russian jails, or for world paying higher food and energy prices because of Russia's war.
The summit ends as Zelensky heads to UNGA in New York for talks with Trump.