Kyiv Independent: Recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea would be a violation of international law
While US President Donald Trump is increasing pressure on his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymir Zelenski to accept his peace plan – which involves recognizing Russian sovereignty over the annexed Crimea, analysts warn that it would be a violation of international law – the Ukrainian daily Kiev writes.
Russia occupied and annexed Crimea in 2014, but Ukraine still considers it its own territory, and the majority of the international community refuses to recognize this illegal appropriation. « Formal recognition of Russian sovereignty would now be a clear violation of international law, » Stephen Wolf, an international security professor at the University of Birmingham, told Kiev.
« It is unlikely that most of Ukraine’s remaining allies will follow the example, but countries are closer to Russia could do so, » he added.
On the other hand, security expert Aaron Gash Burnet would call such a move capitulation.
He told Kiev Independent that the handover of Crimea to Russia « would open the Pandora’s box to numerous global conflicts ».
– The authoritarian regimes would learn that all they have to do is attack their neighbor, withstand the pressure and eventually be rewarded for it. That would be the message paid by imperialism – warned Barnett.
