President Volodymyr Zelensky began his two-day trip to New York on Sept. 21 by meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Zelensky also had a face-to-face meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later that day.
The question of Russian-occupied Crimea was Zelensky’s number one priority.
“I want to thank you personally, the European Union, for supporting Ukraine, our independence, and for not recognizing Russian control over Crimea,” said Zelensky during his meeting with von der Leyen.
A day prior, the European Commission stated it would not recognize Russian elections conducted in occupied Crimea. “Crimea is Ukraine,” said the Commission’s spokesperson Peter Stano.
President Volodymyr Zelensky meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 20, 2021. (president.gov.ua)
Zelensky also raised the question of Russia’s increased attacks on activists in Crimea. Russian occupation authorities arrested over 60 Crimeans within several days earlier this month. Most of them are Crimean Tatars known for their support of Ukrainian territorial integrity.
Russia’s crackdown came soon after Ukraine brought 30 international delegations to the Crimea Platform summit on Aug. 23 in an attempt to bring the issue of Russian occupation of the peninsula back on the table.
Some of the activists arrested by Russian authorities in Crimea were those who attended the summit. Kyiv sees the attacks as Kremlin’s retaliation for the Crimean Platform.
One of those under arrest is Nariman Dzhelyal, deputy head of Mejlis, the representative body of Crimean Tatars, who attended the summit.
Zelensky demanded the release of Dzhelyal and all other political prisoners.
Read More: Russian Repression: Kremlin targets scores of Crimean Tatars for detention
Zelensky also raised the issues of human rights in Crimea during his face-to-face meeting with Guterres and asked the latter to assist with freeing 450 Ukrainian political prisoners who are currently held in the Russian-occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas and in Russia.
Zelensky said that Ukraine counts on the U.N. support for the effort to end Russia’s occupation of the peninsula.
“Achieving the ultimate goal of the Crimea Platform – the return of Crimea – will restore respect for the U.N. Charter,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky’s meeting with Erdogan focused on the construction of housing for the Crimean Tatar people and the assistance in negotiating the release of Crimean Tatar political prisoners.
The ongoing trip is Zelensky’s second visit to the U.S. within a month. On Sept. 1, Zelensky met with U.S. President Joe Biden in the White House.
Russia’s war against Ukraine and the subsequent occupation of Crimea and eastern Donbas were among the key topics of the meeting. Russia’s ongoing war killed over 13,000 people.
In New York, Zelensky is expected to meet with leaders of Poland, Moldova, Georgia and the U.K. He will speak at the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 22.
According to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Zelensky’s speech will focus on Crimea.
“Crimea is the number one priority for our country and our diplomacy,” Kuleba said.
