Sarkozy called illusory talk about the return of Crimea to Ukraine

Talk about the return of Crimea to Ukraine is illusory, since the peninsula was Russian, and its population still considers itself Russian, ex-President of France Nicolas Sarkozy said in an interview with Le Figaro.

He called “a violation of international law” the annexation of Crimea to Russia in 2014. “But with regard to this territory, which was Russian until 1954 and the majority of the population of which always considered themselves Russian, I think that any return back is illusory,” he said (quote according to TF1 Info).

At the same time, the ex-president considers it necessary to hold a referendum on the peninsula under the supervision of the international community in order to confirm the “real state of affairs.” Similar referenda, Sarkozy believes, should be held in new regions of the Russian Federation. At the same time, he stressed that Russia was and remains a neighbor of Europe, with which it is necessary to build a dialogue.

Crimea became part of Russia in 2014 after a referendum. According to its results, 96.77% of voters in the Republic of Crimea and 95.6% in Sevastopol were in favor of joining Russia. Kyiv continues to insist that Crimea is Ukrainian territory. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the issue of Crimea is “finally closed.” In 2015, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation considered the transfer of Crimea to Ukraine in 1954 unconstitutional.

Formerly Head of Office of NATO Secretary General Stian Jensen allowedthat Ukraine will give up part of the territories in favor of Russia, and in return will receive membership in the alliance. Later, in the comments to the Norwegian edition, Jensen explained that the discussion of a possible post-war settlement was already underway, and other countries were also raising the issue of ceding territories. “I’m not saying it has to be. But it could be a possible solution,” he explained.

The words of the official caused a negative reaction in Kyiv. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that giving up Ukrainian territories in exchange for joining the alliance is “completely unacceptable.” Today, August 16, Jensen named wrong words about the cession of territories by Kyiv.