European leaders restate commitment to the sovereignty of Ukraine at Crimea Platform inaugural event

It has been more than seven years since the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol on 20 February 2014 by the Russian Federation. European leaders met in Ukraine for the International Crimea Platform Summit to reconfirm their steadfast commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

The European Union’s representatives reiterated that they will not recognize the violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The EU has maintained sanctions and its non-recognition policy.

European Council President Charles Michel said: “The illegal annexation and the situation in and around Crimea must remain high on the international agenda. This is why the International Crimean Platform has our utmost political support. The illegal annexation constitutes an affront to the very rules-based international order in which we all have a vital interest in preserving. This is why we call for the broadest international support possible in addressing the annexation of Crimea, through non-recognition measures and advocacy in international fora.”

The Summit was organized on the eve of Ukraine’s 30th anniversary of becoming independent. Michel and the European Commission’s Valdis Dombrovskis reiterated the EU’s unprecedented support and support for Ukraine through the EU-Ukraine association agreement and more than €16 billion in funding since 2014.

Concerns have been heightened by the increasing militarization of the peninsula by the Russia Federation, including multiple military exercises, the imposition of conscription into Russia’s armed forces on Crimean residents and efforts to change the demographics through settlement.

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