UK, France, and Germany Urging Ukraine to Consider Territorial Concessions – Reports
Kiev
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The UK, France and Germany are exploring the possibility of an agreement for Ukraine that would see it take steps toward renouncing its claims to some territory, the Financial Times reported, citing an official. According to the report, the UK, France and Germany are increasingly concerned about the US hardening position on Ukraine, and the three European countries are trying to find an opportunity for a deal that could involve some movement by Ukraine toward “ceding” some territory to Russia. Crimea became a Russian region in March 2014 following a referendum after a coup in Ukraine. In the referendum, 96.77% of voters in Crimea and 95.6% in Sevastopol voted to join Russia. Ukraine still considers Crimea to be its temporarily occupied territory, and many Western countries support Kiev on the issue. For its part, the Russian leadership has repeatedly stated that the residents of Crimea voted to reunite with Russia democratically, in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Crimea issue is “closed.” WorldKremlin: Putin Backs Ceasefire in Ukraine, But Much Work Remains Ahead23 March, 11:59 GMTIn October 2022, following referendums, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions became part of Russia.