If the U.S. ever recognized Crimea as belonging to an aggressor state, it would be a huge strategic mistake, as it could imply that Russia retained control over the eastern part of the Black Sea.
This was stated by the Chairman of the Board of the Ukraine Crisis Media Center, former Ambassador of Ukraine to the U.S. Valeriy Chaly who spoke at the Black Sea Security Forum in Odesa, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“After the war, freedom of navigation will be restored, and if you lose Crimea, this could become a problem. I don’t even want to discuss it, but if the United States – potentially – recognizes Crimea as belonging to our enemy, this will be another huge mistake. Because without the peninsula, you cannot control the entire eastern part of the Black Sea,” the diplomat said.
He recalled that before the war, every NATO warship that entered the Black Sea was counted, but they were not enough to respond to the massive Russian buildup. At the same time, Ukraine also made mistakes in assessing enemy intentions and capabilities as they went full blast, attacking cities and infrastructure.
“We are grateful to the United States for their stance. I was an ambassador to the U.S. and I know how difficult it was to resolve issues at the level of presidents, but they supported Ukraine. I also had to meet with President Trump several times during his previous term, and I remain optimistic. In a broader context, we still think we can prevail in the future without the United States. But I think this is our task, the task for Ukrainians. to find a way to bring our strategies closer – American and Ukrainian – to win in the Black Sea and in the wider region… Send us more weapons, apply more sanctions and lower oil prices for at least six months – that would be a really good deal,” the diplomat believes.
He noted that Trump, even during his previous presidential term, said Crimea could belong to Russia, because it is allegedly a Russian-speaking region, and also “historically”. The American leader repeated this position a few weeks ago, the diplomat recalled.
“…The U.S. President is a very important figure, but he is not all of America. We receive a lot of support – from intelligence, from defense agencies, from the State Department, from Congress, from individual governors… This is a very large and complex country. We must work with everyone – with Republicans, with Democrats, with President Trump, but also not forget what President Biden has done for us,” Chalyi emphasized.
According to the diplomat, President Trump’s statements sometimes spark excessive emotions among Ukrainians. In this context, the ex-ambassador expressed the opinion that people responsible for foreign policy should be less emotional, should be ready to meet and talk with Americans and put forward constructive proposals themselves, without waiting for others to do so.
“I sometimes see statements that the end of the Russian war against Ukraine now depends entirely on President Trump. I would disagree. The actor in this war is our military, our Defense Forces. We count on the support from the United States and our European partners. We don’t need your action tomorrow or next year, we need action now, at this final stage as we’re having a window of opportunity. If you fail to take advantage of this, Putin will move on, Putin will come to you. Don’t forget this, stay realistic,” Chalyi urged.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, the three-day Black Sea Security Forum brought together in Odesa more than 500 participants from 20 countries, including politicians, diplomats, ambassadors, and analysts.
Source: Washington's recognition of Russian ownership of Crimea would be “huge strategic mistake” - diplomat
