Dmytro Kuleba, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine has pronounced that his country would not relinquish its demand that Russia withdraw its forces from Crimea, as well as from other parts of Ukraine that Moscow illegally annexed more recently.
Labelling the war in Ukraine as “a bleeding wound in the middle of Europe,” Kuleba pointed out that all his country’s territory must be treated equally in dealing with the Kremlin after its full-scale invasion more than 13 months ago.
Speaking by video link at the Black Sea Security Conference in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, Kuleba noted, “We are united by U.N. charter principles and the shared conviction that Crimea is Ukraine and it will return under Ukraine’s control.”
“Every time you hear anyone from any corner of the world saying that Crimea is somehow special and should not be returned to Ukraine, as any other part of our territory, you have to know one thing: Ukraine categorically disagrees with these statements.”
Dmytro Kuleba, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine
The Kremlin wants Kyiv to acknowledge Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea and also recognize September’s annexation of the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine has rejected those demands and made it clear that it will not hold talks with Russia until Moscow’s troops pull back from all occupied territories.
Even though there is no indication of possible peace talks, the two warring countries have intermittently exchanged prisoners of war and have engaged in a wartime deal for the export of Ukrainian grain and Russian grain and fertilizers.
The grain deal has helped ease concerns about the global food supply, especially to countries in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia where many are already struggling with hunger. The agreement, which was brokered by the U.N. and Turkey last July is delicate, however, and has been the subject of repeated threats by Moscow to end it.
Russia agreed last month to extend the grain deal for 60 days, instead of the 120 days set under a previous extension, to send a warning signal to the West.
No Discussion On Black Sea Grain Extension Until Steps Are Made Towards “Five Systemic Problems”
In the latest dispute, Russia’s Foreign Ministry disclosed on Thursday, April 13, 2023, that no discussion about extending the Black Sea grain deal beyond May 18 would take place until progress was made towards resolving what it called “five systemic problems” that have resulted from sanctions on Russia over the war.
The Ministry noted in a statement that those issues were reconnecting the state-owned Russian Agricultural Bank to the SWIFT international banking system, resuming supplies to Russia of agricultural machinery, spare parts and services, lifting restrictions on insurance and reinsurance and the ban on access to ports, restoring the operation of the Tolyatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline and unblocking foreign assets as well as accounts of Russian companies related to the production and transportation of food and fertilizers.
Military analysts claim that an anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive in coming months could take aim at the land corridor between Russia and Crimea, hoping to split Russia’s forces in two.
Satellite images show the Kremlin’s forces are digging extensive trench systems in the area between mainland Ukraine and the Black Sea peninsula.
The Moscow-appointed leader of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, divulged on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, that the region is on guard for what may be an impending Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Aksyonov told reporters that Russian forces in Crimea had built “modern, in-depth defenses” and had “more than enough” troops and equipment to repel a possible Ukrainian assault after 13 months of war following Russia’s full-scale invasion.
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