According to Andriy Sibiha, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine must reach the borders of the peninsula before negotiations can begin. However, the option of military liberation of Crimea is also not excluded.
Ukraine is ready for Crimean negotiations with Russia, but only on condition that the Armed Forces fulfill their strategic tasks and reach the borders of the peninsula. This was expressed by Andriy Sibiga, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, in a comment to the Financial Times.
“If we succeed in achieving our strategic goals on the battlefield and find ourselves on the administrative border with Crimea, we are ready to open a diplomatic page to discuss this issue,” Sibiga said.
He also said that the option of military liberation of Crimea is not excluded.
According to journalists, Sibiga’s words may help Western officials, who doubt Ukraine’s victory in the war with Russia and fear a nuclear escalation, believe it.
The material also says that Sibiga recorded that the conversation was specifically about the Crimean peninsula.
The Liberation of Crimea: Analysts’ Opinion
As the British Defense Attaché in Washington, Rear Admiral Tim Woods, said, politicians will have to talk about the status of Crimea as there is such a large concentration of Russian troops on the peninsula.
I don’t think it will be a very quick military solution. That’s why we need to see what the favorable conditions are for negotiations,” he said.
The publication recalled that Crimea had been under Russian occupation since February 2014 and was annexed by Moscow the following month after a “simulated referendum”.
Journalists say some Western allies of Ukraine fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin may use tactical nuclear weapons to defend the peninsula.
“Some are so afraid that Ukraine is approaching the administrative border of Crimea that they are directly or indirectly trying to delay this moment,” said Alena Getmanchuk, director of the New Europe think tank in Kiev.
He added that the concerns about the escalation of the conflict over Crimea are so high that it affects the decisions of some allies about which weapons to supply Ukraine and at what speed.
Getmanchuk also said that Ukrainian officials believe Putin can truly “speak” after a successful Defense Force counterattack.
On April 5, the GUR urged the Crimeans to help bring Ukraine’s victory closer. According to intelligence officials, there are several platforms where information important to the Ukrainian side can be shared.
The expert explained FocusWhy is the Armed Forces of Ukraine targeting airfields in Saki, Belbek or Guards? Invaders in Crimea are using 10 captured military airfields to attack cities in Ukraine. Fighter aviation is mainly located in Sevastopol.
Source: Focus
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