Erdogan Says Crimea ‘Must Return to Ukraine’ For Just End to War

Speaking via video link to participants of Kyiv’s Crimea Platform meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 11, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that Crimea, illegally annexed and occupied by Russia, must return to Ukraine in accordance with international law, according to reports in Anadolu Ajansı and the Moscow Times.

“Our support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence remains unwavering. The return of Crimea to Ukraine is a requirement of international law,” Erdogan said.

He also expressed hope that further steps to support the Crimean Tatars would continue, including efforts to free them from Russian captivity.

“We sincerely wish for the war to end with a just and lasting peace, based on Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence,” he said.

Erdogan restated that ensuring the safety and well-being of the Crimean Tatars is one of Turkey’s foreign policy priorities, adding that Crimean Tatars have the right to live free, safe, and peaceful lives in their homeland.

In March, Erdogan offered to host a summit where Moscow and Kyiv could meet in an attempt to resolve the war in Ukraine. A document said to be a draft peace treaty  prepared by the Turkish authorities appeared in the Turkish media soon afterwards. The plan called for a freeze to the war that would last until 2040 during which time referendums would be held in all territories currently occupied.

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In July, the Turkish leader and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held in Astana, Kazakhstan. During their meeting Erdogan declared readiness to “lay the foundations” of a ceasefire and discussions to find a compromise that would finally end the fighting.

In response the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that Moscow did not not consider Erdogan to be a mediator to resolve the war with Ukraine.

In August, a representative of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), Andriy Yusov, announced that the Ukrainian command has a plan for the complete destruction of the illegally constructed Kerch Bridge and the liberation of occupied Crimea.

The occupation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia began in February 2014, when Russian troops operating covertly, the infamous “little green men,” seized key sites on the peninsula and established control. In March of the same year, an illegitimate referendum was held, after which Russia declared the annexation of Crimea.