President Duda at Crimea Platform summit: the whole world understands the significance of Crimea occupation

In his online speech at the Third Summit of the Crimea Platform, Poland's President Andrzej Duda said the meeting was "a living proof that the international community has understood the significance of the illegal occupation of Crimea and other Ukrainian lands to the whole world".

"It does not only exemplify the ideology of 'Russkiy mir' in practice but is also an ominous sign of a world which may materialize when international law, human rights or the provisions of the UN Charter are no longer respected," he added.

"Poland does not accept such a vision and it will never do! That is why since 2014 we have consistently stood with Ukraine. The developments of March and April 2014 were a signal for us about Russia`s real intentions concerning Ukraine: the annexation of its territory, annihilation of the statehood and destruction of Ukrainian culture and language. Hence, we made an appeal for international solidarity with Ukraine already then," Duda stressed.

The Polish president also said that nobody should be under any illusions at this stage of the conflict that the occupation of Crimea was merely a regional issue.

"It is a global problem! Unless we solve it together, we will de facto begin to agree to a new international security architecture and a new global order based on the law of force. Therefore, the de–occupation of Crimea and restoration of Ukraine`s full territorial integrity are necessary preconditions, not just for the security of the Azov–Black Sea region, but also for the stability of the global security architecture," he said.

President Duda that the West "must not let Putin achieve his goals vis–a–vis Ukraine". Russia's illicit control over Crimea is one of the most significant foundations of legitimacy for the Kremlin. That is why we must do all we can to ensure that it becomes part of Ukraine again. There can be no concessions to Russia in this regard whatsoever."

"Moscow has to return all the seized territories and face the consequences of its actions. Let us not forget that what is really at stake in this war is keeping the world order based on respect for international law, territorial integrity, as well as the freedom and the right of nations to choose their own future. What is at stake are the foundations of the free world," Poland's head of state underscored.

Initiated by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Crimea Platform aims to increase the effectiveness of international response to the ongoing occupation of Crimea and mounting security threats, respond to growing security threats, increase international pressure on the Kremlin, prevent further human rights violations and protect victims of the occupation regime, and achieve the main goal - de-occupation of Crimea and its peaceful return to Ukraine.

Russia seized and annexed the Crimea peninsula in 2014 in a move not recognised by most other countries, and has occupied other parts of Ukraine in the south and east since its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Ukrainian troops began their counteroffensive to regain lost territory in early June, but progress has been slow as they encountered vast Russian minefields and trenches, particularly in the southeast.

"Crimea will be de-occupied like all other parts of Ukraine that are unfortunately still under the occupier," Zelenskiy said in a defiant speech to an international conference on Crimea in Kyiv.

He said Ukrainian troops were advancing in the counteroffensive but set no time frame for retaking Crimea or other occupied territory.

The New York Times on Wednesday quoted U.S. and other Western officials as saying Ukraine was struggling to break through heavily defended Russian lines in the south because it had too many troops in the wrong places, including in the east.

Asked about Ukraine's military movements at a press conference following his speech, Zelenskiy outlined the risks that would be involved in moving forces away from the eastern front where, he said, Russia has about 200,000 troops.

"The proposal is this. Let's take our forces, the armed forces from there, and transfer them somewhere," he said, and went on to list towns and cities that could as a result become more vulnerable to Russian attacks.

"I think, after that it will be the following. A couple of days - Sloviansk, Kramatorsk; then they will go to Pavlohrad (...) I believe that is exactly the kind of hope they have. (Then) Kharkiv."

"We will not give up either Kharkiv, nor Donbas, nor Pavlohrad, nor Dnipro," he said.

Russia shows no sign of abandoning Crimea, which it has used as a platform to launch missile strikes on Ukrainian targets. Moscow says a referendum held after Russian forces seized the peninsula showed Crimeans genuinely want to be part of Russia. The referendum is not recognised by most countries.

Zelenskiy said that once Crimea was back under Ukrainian control, it would be part of Ukraine's economy and therefore part of the global economy.

"Today we are taking the first such economic step. We are signing the first document with companies that are ready to enter Crimea following Ukraine," he said.

He gave no details of the document but named several companies that he said were ready to invest in Crimea following after the end of Russian control, including Ryanair, Vodafone, Nokia and EPAM.