Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council on March 11 approved a strategy to end the Russian occupation of Crimea and reintegrate the peninsula.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced this on Twitter.
"We've approved the Strategy for De-occupation & Reintegration of Crimea, a historic document needed since 2014," he said.
"The signal is crystal clear: we don’t just call on the world to help us return Crimea, Ukraine makes own dedicated & systemic efforts under President [Volodymyr] Zelensky's leadership."
Kuleba also listed three priorities in the policy aimed at retaking Crimea.
"3 pillars for returning Crimea: 1.Strategy. Approved today. 2.Consolidation. We work on joining efforts of all partners on the Crimea Platform. 3. Synergy. Restoring international law and in result, restoring full Ukrainian sovereignty over Crimea & the city of Sevastopol," he said.
Russian occupation of Crimea
- Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea in March 2014 after its troops had occupied the peninsula. An illegal referendum was held amid the aggressive takeover on the issue of the peninsula's accession to Russia. De-facto Crimean authorities claimed that 96.77% of the Crimean population had allegedly supported the move.
- On March 18, 2014, the so-called agreement on the accession of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to the Russian Federation was signed off in the Kremlin.
- Western powers never recognized the Crimea annexation attempt and imposed sanctions on Russia over aggression against Ukraine.
- Ukraine's parliament voted to designate February 20, 2014, as the official date for the start of the temporary occupation of Crimea.
