Zelenskyy cites 2018 US Crimea Declaration amid renewed tensions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has invoked a 2018 US policy statement rejecting Russia’s annexation of Crimea, amid renewed tensions with US President Donald Trump over the peninsula’s status.​

In a social media post on Wednesday, President Zelenskyy reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to its constitutional boundaries and expressed confidence that international partners, particularly the United States, would uphold their prior commitments.​

The referenced document, known as the Crimea Declaration, was issued by then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on July 25, 2018. It stated that the United States refuses to recognize Russia’s claims over Crimea, emphasizing that the annexation violated international law. Pompeo pledged that the US, in concert with its allies, would maintain this policy until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored.​

Zelenskyy’s remarks come in response to recent statements by Donald Trump, who criticized Ukraine’s refusal to concede Crimea to Russia, suggesting that such a stance hampered peace negotiations. Trump argued that Crimea was lost during the Obama administration and should not be a point of contention.