President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 23 that Ukraine will always act in accordance with its Constitution, sharing a 2018 U.S. declaration denouncing Russian occupation of Crimea and reaffirming Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Though Zelensky did not mention it explicitly, the statement seems to refer to the U.S. reportedly proposing its de jure recognition of Russian control over the southern Ukrainian peninsula, which Russia has occupied since 2014, as part of a potential peace deal.
"Russia, through its 2014 invasion of Ukraine and its attempted annexation of Crimea, sought to undermine a bedrock international principle shared by democratic states: that no country can change the borders of another by force," Mike Pompeo, the U.S. secretary of state during the first Trump administration, said in the Crimea Declaration in July 2018.
"In concert with allies, partners, and the international community, the United States rejects Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored."
U.S. President Donald Trump's second term saw him adopt a more Russian-friendly policy as he seeks to restore bilateral ties and broker a peace in Ukraine.
Washington's latest peace proposal reportedly included not only de jure recognition of Crimea's annexation but also de facto acceptance of Russian occupation of parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.
Zelensky has previously ruled out formally ceding any territory to Russia, after which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipped London peace talks with Ukrainian and European officials on April 23.
The White House also lashed out against Zelensky's statements on Crimea, saying that "nobody is asking Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian territory."
The London meeting still took place on a technical level, with Ukrainian delegates – Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov – stressing the need for a ceasefire as the first necessary step toward a peace deal.
"Emotions have run high today. But it is good that five countries met to bring peace closer. Ukraine, the U.S., the U.K., France, and Germany," Zelensky said.
"We are grateful to partners. Ukraine will always act in accordance with its Constitution and we are absolutely sure that our partners, in particular the U.S., will act in line with its strong decisions."
Chris York
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