The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, pledged once again on Tuesday 23 August at the second summit of the ‘Crimea Platform’ that the EU would never recognise the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia.
In two separate speeches, the leaders denounced the 2014 annexation of the region in Ukraine and noted that it had been used as an outpost for the 2022 war. Since its annexation, “Crimea has been used not only as a Russian military base, but also as a testing ground for the brutal methods Russia is now applying across the other occupied parts of Ukraine”, said Ms von der Leyen in condemnation, while highlighting human rights violations on the peninsula. She also pledged that the EU would work tirelessly with the Ukrainian authorities and its partners to expose these violations, hold those responsible to account, and support the victims.
According to Mr Michel, since February, Russia has used Crimea as a strategic springboard for invading Ukraine, a transit point for deporting Ukrainian citizens, and as a hub for transporting stolen grain from Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, for his part, noted that Crimea was one of the most militarised areas in Europe.
On the eve of Ukraine’s independence day, Ms von der Leyen and Mr Michel stated the EU’s support for the country – whether that may be financial, humanitarian or military – or even the granting of candidate status for EU membership. “The European Union will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes”, promised the Commission President, while the President of the European Council reiterated that the EU was ready to play a role in the reconstruction of the country.
Mr Stoltenberg said he was “actively” engaging with the leaders of NATO member countries “to urge them to provide more weapons and ammunition more quickly”.
Concerns over Zaporizhzhia
Mr Michel used his speech to express his concerns about the bombing taking place near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. “Russian actions risk causing a nuclear disaster and this is a time for caution and restraint”, he said, supporting the UN’s efforts and calling on Russia to give UN experts immediate access to the plant. He also supported the establishment of a demilitarised zone around the plant. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)