Ukraine does not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea by Russia, as it contradicts the Constitution.
President Volodymyr Zelensky made this statement during a briefing.
“As for recognizing Crimea as Russian, we don’t even need to discuss it. Ukraine does not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea. It’s beyond our Constitution. It is our territory, the territory of the Ukrainian people. We’ve said this about every temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, and the Constitution asserts this by its very existence,” he emphasized.
Regarding the issue of Ukraine not joining NATO, the head of state recalled that while the U.S. did not actively support it, there was no formal rejection either.
“Russia, aside from being a criminal aggressor, is a participant in this war. It cannot speak about security guarantees for Ukraine—it violates them,” Zelensky said.
According to him, Russia cannot veto Ukraine’s membership in the Alliance because it is not a member itself.
“As for a U.S.-Russia dialogue about Ukraine and NATO—I’m sure it exists. But even if we imagine it, here’s my question: refusing NATO—does that bring security guarantees? What will happen to Ukraine then? And what will Russia give up in return? They previously claimed they entered Ukraine to protect their state’s security because NATO was getting closer. So, if NATO doesn’t come closer, what will Russia offer? What are they offering? For now, with their statements, they are threatening us, but we are not afraid of their threats,” Zelensky underscored.
