{"id":4142,"date":"2021-08-23T16:22:55","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T16:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mediateka.online\/learnrussian\/zelenskiy-looks-to-international-forum-to-return-russia-annexed-crimea.html"},"modified":"2021-08-23T16:22:55","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T16:22:56","slug":"zelenskiy-looks-to-international-forum-to-return-russia-annexed-crimea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediateka.online\/learnrussian\/zelenskiy-looks-to-international-forum-to-return-russia-annexed-crimea.html","title":{"rendered":"Zelenskiy Looks To International Forum To Return Russia-Annexed Crimea"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ukrainian

KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed to do "everything possible" to return Russia-annexed Crimea to Ukraine as an international forum on the issue looked to rally international support.<\/p>\n

In his opening remarks to the forum on August 23, Zelenskiy told government delegations from 45 countries, including the United States, all member-states of the European Union, and Great Britain, that Crimea, together with Ukraine, should become part of Europe.<\/p>\n

"For this we will use all possible political, legal, and, first and foremost, diplomatic means," Zelenskiy said, adding that Kyiv needs "effective support at the international level."<\/p>\n

Russia took control of Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 after sending in troops, seizing key facilities, and staging a referendum dismissed as illegal by at least 100 countries. Moscow also backs separatists in a war against government forces that has killed more than 13,200 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.<\/p>\n

Zelenskiy initiated the Crimean Platform summit when he was given a floor at the session of the United Nations’ General Assembly in September.<\/p>\n

At the forum, aimed at creating a coalition of countries to support the de-occupation of Crimea and Ukraine’s territories in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, he accused Russia of turning Crimea into a \u201cmilitary base" and "a foothold for Russia to boost its influence on the Black Sea region."<\/p>\n

In turn, Russia has called the forum "a farce" while threatening participants with "consequences."<\/p>\n

Just days before the summit, Moscow imposed sanctions against Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and the Secretary of Ukraine’s Council of National Security and Defense, Oleksiy Danylov.<\/p>\n