Russia says Crimea status will not be discussed during peace talks with Ukraine

On March 29, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Crimea, the former Ukrainian province, is a part of Russia and would not be discussed in peace talks. Moscow will not discuss the status of Crimea with Kyiv or any other party, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday, commenting on the outcome of peace negotiations the day before. The territorial conflict over Crimea was resolved within 15 years without the use of force, according to Kyiv's proposal for a peace treaty with Russia, he added.

“Crimea is part of the Russian Federation. According to our constitution, we cannot discuss with anyone the fates of Russian territories, the fates of Russian regions. That is out of the question,” Peskov remarked.

In 2014, Crimea decided to rejoin Russia after the Ukrainian government was overthrown by an armed coup in Kyiv. However, Ukraine argues the vote was unlawful and refers to Crimea as Ukrainian territory that is temporarily occupied. Moreover, officials from Ukraine have stated that they will not relinquish their claim to the territory under any circumstances.

Crimea issue to be discussed separately: Podolyak

The issues of the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as Crimea, will be taken out of the main part of the international agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine and discussed separately, Mykhailo Podolyak, Adviser to the Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine, stated at a press briefing in Istanbul.

"As for such issues as Crimea, this is a separate clause of the agreement, in which we propose to enshrine the position of Ukraine and Russia to hold bilateral talks on the status of Crimea and Sevastopol for 15 years," Podolyak told reporters on March 29.

At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's adviser claimed that the Russian side is encouraged to agree that during this time, neither Ukraine nor Russia would employ military or armed forces to resolve the Crimea issue. Podolyak also stated that the problem of some areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions has been identified as a separate element that should be handled during the talks between Ukraine's and Russia's presidents.

Image: AP