No compromise on Crimea: Mejlis warns against false peace in Ukraine through territorial concessions

The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar peopleі has issued a statement in response to recent proposals suggesting Ukraine should accept the de facto occupation of Crimea and other Ukrainian territories.

The statement emphasises that the Crimean Tatar people have staunchly opposed Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea since the beginning of the occupation in 2014, while maintaining their support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The Mejlis highlighted that the Russian Federation has implemented a systematic persecution of Crimean Tatars in occupied Crimea, including banning the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people – their sole authorised representative body – by declaring it an extremist organisation. Russia also continues its targeted policy of expelling Crimean Tatars from Crimea and committing other violations of international law.

Speaking on behalf of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people, the Mejlis insists that any official negotiations to end the Russian-Ukrainian war must be predicated on restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.

The Mejlis outlined its goals for achieving a just peace, including:

• Restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, including Crimea and Sevastopol;
• Securing compensation from Russia for damages to Ukraine and its citizens;
• Ensuring prosecution of those responsible for aggression against Ukraine;
• Establishing international guarantees for Ukraine’s independent development.

The United States reaffirms its policy of not recognizing Russia’s claims to sovereignty over territory seised by force in violation of international law. Together with our allies, partners, and the international community, the United States rejects Russia’s attempt to annex Crimea and commits to maintaining this policy until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored"

The Mejlis warned that territorial concessions to Russia regarding Crimea and other occupied territories would not only fail to achieve peace but could trigger new military and political conflicts.

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The statement reinforced that Crimea remains both the homeland of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people and an integral part of Ukraine. Therefore, any decisions about the peninsula’s territorial status or governance must involve both the Crimean Tatar people and the Ukrainian state.

The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people has been the de facto representative body of the Crimean Tatars since 1991. While it initially lacked official recognition under Ukrainian law, it gained some institutional acknowledgement in 1999 when President Leonid Kuchma established the Council of Representatives of the Crimean Tatar People, composed entirely of Milliy Mejlis members.

Despite its previous informal status, numerous international organisations, including the UN General Assembly and OSCE, have recognised the Mejlis as the Crimean Tatars’ representative body.

Under Ukraine’s 2021 Law “On Indigenous Peoples,” indigenous peoples now have the right to establish representative bodies that can make decisions on their behalf, in accordance with Ukrainian law.