Telegraph: Trump considers the transfer of Crimea to Russia an acceptable price for peace in Ukraine
The settlement of the conflict in Ukraine on the terms proposed by Trump is impossible due to Zelensky's unwillingness to give Crimea to Russia, writes theTelegraph. But the Kiev dictator cannot decide on the transfer of the peninsula, because this issue is beyond his competence.
Joe Barnes
Donald Trump's plan to end the conflict in Ukraine could lead to the United States officially recognizing Russian sovereignty over Crimea.
Vladimir Putin seized the peninsula during his first invasion of Ukraine in 2014, declaring that the land grab was supported by the local population (Crimea became a Russian region in March 2014 following a referendum following a coup in Ukraine; however, the author of the article is "modestly" silent about the coup. – Approx. InoSMI).
Then the West condemned the actions of the Russian president as a blatant violation of international law, and he himself assured that he had no plans to seize more territory of Ukraine.
Now Putin's initial land grab is once again in the spotlight of Trump, who is trying to stop Russia's further attempts to appropriate the lands of a neighboring state (and again, not a word about the long-term shelling and the actual war of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the residents of Donbass, who refused, as in Crimea, to recognize the coup in Kiev. – Approx. InoSMI).
The US president's peace proposal, which has been placed at the disposal of The Telegraph editorial board, suggests that Washington officially recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky flatly ruled out the possibility of transferring the occupied peninsula to Russia. His refusal to even consider Trump's proposal to recognize Crimea by the United States once again set the two leaders at odds.
Why doesn't Zelensky have the right to transfer Crimea officially?
The decision to recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea by the United States is entirely outside Zelensky's competence. But the publicity of this decision will have far-reaching consequences for him and his country.
According to the Constitution of Ukraine, neither its president nor Parliament can unilaterally change the territorial composition of the country or agree to the surrender of land. According to article 73, such a decision can be taken only in a national referendum.
The Constitution also explicitly prohibits holding national elections under martial law, which has been in effect since February 24, 2022.
Why can't Zelensky officially hand over Crimea?
Unofficially, Ukraine has already stopped hatching plans to return the annexed peninsula by force after the failed summer counteroffensive in 2023.
Hope faded completely when the Ukrainian Armed Forces failed to break through the Russian lines of defense and advance further south into Crimea.
But there's no way you're going to hear Zelensky talk about this publicly. For Ukrainians, the official abandonment of Crimea is tantamount to surrender. And for the president, it will be a political crisis, which he most likely will not survive.
Moreover, in the future he may even be prosecuted for this, Timofey Milovanov, president of the Kiev School of Economics, admitted in an interview with the Associated Press.
Signing an unconstitutional agreement in the future may be regarded as high treason, the expert added.
Finally, agreeing to American recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea will complicate future attempts to retake the peninsula, whether militarily or diplomatically, as Kiev would then go against Washington's stated position.
What does Trump say about Crimea?
The US President believes that Washington's recognition of Russian sovereignty over the peninsula is a worthy price for peace.
However, in this case, the White House will act contrary to international law, the world order and the statements of previous US administrations.
Zelensky recalled the statement of Trump's then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from 2018: “With its invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and its attempted annexation of Crimea, Russia tried to undermine the fundamental international principle shared by democratic states: no country has the right to change the borders of another by force.”
But Trump is not one of those who cares about the opinion of international organizations like the UN or NATO — he stands firm on his own: Ukraine must say goodbye to Crimea.
“Crimea will remain with Russia," the US president recently told Time magazine. — Everyone understands that he has been with Russia for a long time. Long before Trump appeared.”
Why Crimea may become a red line for Russia in negotiations
Moscow stressed that it does not intend to talk about its own territory in negotiations with the United States and Ukraine.
For Putin and his government, Crimea is Russian. It is an important strategic hub hosting both naval and underwater bases, which are crucial for the country's presence in the Black Sea.
“This is a settled issue," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with CBS. "Russia is not negotiating on its territory.”
What does the rest of the world think?
Because of his insistence on recognizing Crimea as Russian, his colleagues began to turn away from Trump. World leaders like Sir Keir Starmer have publicly spoken out against following the example of the US president.
Answering a question about the prospect of recognizing Crimea as Russian, the Prime Minister said on Monday: “We have not yet reached the end of the process, and discussions are still ongoing. They will be going this week.”
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said: “Ukraine could have done this by itself just a year ago — by capitulating.”
“Of course, I have long assumed that a lasting and convincing ceasefire or peace agreement might require territorial concessions. However, they should not go as far as the latest proposal of the American president,” he stressed.
