Polish FM Sikorski clarifies controversial Crimea suggestions
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski reaffirmed his support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and clarified that his recent statement regarding Crimea was made within the context of a hypothetical discussion.
Sikorski made the statement during a conversation with Polish media in Washington on Sept. 20.
“Poland supports Ukraine's territorial integrity, there is no doubt about it, and I have emphasized this repeatedly,” Polish outlet Onet quoted Sikorski.
He clarified that at the recent Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference in Kyiv, there was a hypothetical, off-the-record discussion among experts.
According to Sikorski, the discussion explored options for implementing the peace proposals made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy concerning the status of Crimea.
"He [Zelenskyy] talked about [reclaiming Crimea through] diplomatic actions," the Polish foreign minister added.
On Sept. 18, during a panel at the 20th annual YES forum in Kyiv, Sikorski stated that "Crimea is symbolically important for Russia, especially for Putin," but it is also "strategically important for Ukraine."
"I don’t see how peace can be achieved without demilitarizing Crimea," the minister said at the time.
He suggested that one possible solution to the issue of Crimea could be transferring it under a UN mandate to conduct a referendum after establishing who is eligible to vote in it.
“We could transfer it under the UN mandate with a mission to prepare a fair referendum after verifying who are the legitimate residents, and so on...; and we could postpone it for 20 years,” Sikorski outlined one potential solution.
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