A Ukrainian official said Thursday that Kyiv’s goal of kicking Russia out of Crimea hasn’t changed after an aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested Ukraine might be open to negotiating the issue.
“Ukraine will choose the way to bring Crimea back, using political and military means,” Tamila Tasheva, Zelensky’s envoy for Crimea, told POLITICO.
Andriy Sybiha, the deputy of Zelensky’s office, said a day earlier that Kyiv would be “ready” to negotiate over Crimea if it launches a successful counteroffensive up to the peninsula’s borders. The comments were the first sign Kyiv might rethink its position that peace talks can only happen when Russia is expelled from the territory.
But Tasheva said Russia will only be given two options: leave or be driven out. “To minimize Ukrainian military losses, minimize threats to civilians who live in occupied territories, as well as the destruction of civilian infrastructure, Ukraine plans to give Russia a choice on how to leave Crimea. If they don’t agree to leave voluntarily, Ukraine will continue to liberate its land by military means,” she said.
Ukraine’s Western backers doubt that Kyiv has the ability to take the Crimean peninsula by force, and Russia still controls a sizeable portion of territory to the north of the peninsula. A full-blown offensive against Crimea also risks a major escalation from Moscow.
Crimea has been under Russian control since 2014, and polling has shown since then that most Crimeans are happy they’re part of the Russian Federation.
“Crimea has been under Russian control since 2014, and polling has shown since then that most Crimeans are happy they’re part of the Russian Federation.“
Ok, Dave DeCamp. Come on.
Those are Kremlin led polls and while no one is arguing Crimea is Majority Russian, many of those Russians would rather see an autonomous Crimea. Not part of Russia nor Ukraine.
You conducted your own poll? Please share your results with us.
No, I just reviewed historical polls. It’s not difficult, you can do it too.
I reviewed the polls that were posted as a link to this article. What more do you have for us?
And if you know anything, you should know that those polls where conducted by the Kremlin, which means they didn’t actually asked the people, Plus after 2014, they evicted and forced many Ukrainians out of their land. So yes, a very legitimate poll you rely on.
But it fits your narrative so it must be legit.
In other words, Don, you have nothing to offer, other than your normal “Putin apologist” line of nonsense.
Yes, only you have a lot to offer. Knock yourself out.
I never said that I’m offering you something. I’m accepting what Dave DeCamp is offering. You are disputing him. With nothing.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2015/03/20/one-year-after-russia-annexed-crimea-locals-prefer-moscow-to-kiev/
The referendum was monitored by Amnesty International and other entities. Crimea is Russian land and any attempt at “taking it back” will put the world in danger. Biden needs to stop this. We (U.S.) needs to stop this. From Clinton to Biden, the provocations continued, pushing the Russian-speaking Ukraine citizens and Russia into a corner, where Russia may emerge. G-d help us all!
I don’t recall Amnesty International being among the observer organizations, but here’s what they say about it: “[I]t is difficult to take the results of the ‘referendum’ held shortly after the occupation at face value given the intensity of the repression of opposing voices.”
“Waist deep in the Big Muddy, but the big fool said to push on”
The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same.
Not there yet, but not unlikely to be a bigger one than LBJ.
Zelensky’s entire administration needs to be brought before the Hague. He is a despicable hominid. If he wants to die for the cause, fine by me. But his lying acts to drag Ukrainians with him into the darkness are a stain on the human race.
Z is between a rock (Azov battalion) and a hard place (U.S.). He is not and cannot act alone.
Gee I dunno, they cut you a lot of slack if your country has been invaded. At some point if the Russians have better luck than they have had till now it shifts to a movement of national liberation.
and there it is = Crimea is literally the only thing re Ukraine that matters to uncle sam
Of course. The only warm water port for Russian ships. Has been for centuries.
Crimea is probably the biggest carrot that Zelensky can hang in front of the Biden administration. In my opinion, it’s also virtually impregnable to any offensive Zelensky could mount. If Crimea really is his goal for the coming counteroffensive, the cost, in terms of lives lost, will be staggering.
Then again, he might be making a lot of noise about Crimea to draw Russian forces away from other areas.
I don’t think Moscow pays much attention to what Zelensky says.
Zelensky wants. That’s it.
I think you misunderstood me. I meant that Zelensky says he wants Crimea because that’s something that will keep Biden interested in sending more aid.
Tamila is Madison Ave.. She knows the pitch that opens the wallets.
Why is it every timme I hear about Crimea being returned to Ukraine sovergnity that I think it is Victoria Nuland dictating strategy for the conduct of this war, TRYING TO RECOVER Crimea………?????? To erase the stain of her being tared as the woman who lost CRIMEA. And there is also her admission “Yes we have Biolabs in Ukraine”. Afere every7 Biden administration official had been vbehently denighing any involvement in the Pentagon run????? labs.. I think her stroke damaged here brain severely, hence all the insanity she is practiceing, advocating and enforcing, it appears. Senile Biden and brain damaged Nuland…!!!!! What a jinx on America this duo have wrought…!!!!!!!!
Good Luck with that.
Nothing but a pipe dream…! Ukraine cannot kick Russia out of Crimea when north of the peninsula is under Russian control…!
I’m inclined to agree netman.
Crimea has been Russia for centuries except for the blip during the USSR “gifted” to Ukraine, which never did anything for the people and Crimea is now full of Russians. Poroshenkoin 2015 refused to continue the Uke/Russian military arrangements already in place up to 2042, so Russia “annexed Crimea ” and it is firmly in place as part of Russia.
Gee I dunno, good luck with that, I support it but do you have enough Ukrainians to pull it off?
“Ukrainian Official Says Kicking Russia Out of Crimea Is Still the Plan – The comments came after an aide to Zelensky suggested Ukraine could be open to negotiating the issue with Moscow”
Good luck with that, Crimea has been part of Russia since 1784. There was a brief period when a Ukrainian leader of Russia gave Crimea to Ukraine for administrative purposes. Of course, this lead to another brief period when Ukraine controlled Crimea and NATO was salivating about taking the naval base at Sevastopol.
Crimea has a majority Russian population who want Russia as their motherland, not Lithuanian-Polish West Ukrainians.
If Crimea needs to be given to Ukraine than Hawaii needs to be given back to the native Hawaiians and Gibraltar needs to be given back to Spain.
If you notice, wherever a soverign nation has a naval base that area is protected at all costs and maintained, i.e. Gibraltar, Guantanamo, Puerto Rico, et.al.
Probably the final status of Crimea is negotiable, but in 1954 ( IIRC) it was given freely to the Ukrainians and the border was agreed to again in what 1999?
In 1954 Crimea was given administrative control of Crimea by Nikita Khrushchev who was a Ukrainian. Crimea was always part of Russia, has always had a majority Russian population, and will always be part of Russia not matter what evil America wants to push.
Well it was always part of Russia till Russia gave it away, and then later agreed that is was given away. Plus it wasn’t always part of Russia.
It matters not what you think. The people of Crimea have voted to join Russia after Ukraine attempted genocide against Russian Ukrainians.
Crimea is home in the arms of Mother Russia and remain there on pain of death to all who attempt to steal her again.
Ukrainian Official Says Capitulating to Russia Is Still the Plan