During the opening of the fourth summit of the Crimean Platform, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine became a target for Russia when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
ADVERTISEMENTUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for maximum support from the 60 participants at the fourth summit of the Crimea Platform in Kyiv.
He reminded the representatives present that the war began with the occupation of Crimea ten years ago, adding that its freedom is essential to lasting peace in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy reiterated his preconditions for peace in Ukraine, which he said involved "no frozen occupation" or "people left in captivity".
Zelenskyy initiated the summit in 2021. It focuses on efforts to reclaim the Crimean peninsula, which has been under Russian occupation since 2014.
This year's summit was attended by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausieda, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, and Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silinja, among 60 representatives from various countries and international organisations.
In a video message to the summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his support for Ukraine and the return of the Russia-annexed Crimean peninsula.
Erdoğan, who was once called a "dear friend" by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, said that additional steps should be taken to ensure the rights of Crimean Tatars, a Turkic ethnic group indigenous to Crimea.
Russian forces entered Crimea in 2014 and annexed the region two months later, with Putin dividing it into two federal subjects of the Russian Federation.
Crimean Tatars have largely resisted the Kremlin, calling for an end to Moscow's occupation.