Joint Statement of the Participants of the Sixth International Crimea Platform Summit

We, Heads of State and Government and representatives of States and international organizations participating in the Sixth Summit of the International Crimea Platform,

recalling the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly concerning the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine, the human rights situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, and the militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, and guided in particular by the norms and principles of international law, including international humanitarian law, 

reaffirming our unwavering commitment to comprehensive support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including its territorial sea,

reaffirming the policy of non-recognition of the attempted illegal annexation by the Russian Federation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol,  the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, and stressing that no territorial acquisition resulting from the threat or use of force shall be recognized as legal,

recognizing that the temporary occupation of Crimea and other parts of the territory of Ukraine constitutes a clear violation of the UN Charter and a serious challenge to regional and global security,

emphasizing that ending the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine is imperative for the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders, including its territorial sea, and a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine,

strongly condemn the Russian Federation's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, starting with the  occupation and attempted illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol in 2014, and growing into a full-scale military invasion in 2022 and the temporary occupation of additional parts of the territory of Ukraine and its attempt to illegally annex them;

reaffirm that the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and other parts of the territory of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation have been and remain integral parts of the sovereign territory of Ukraine, and that their temporary occupation creates no legal grounds for altering their status;

underscore that any unlawful "elections" held by the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine  cannot alter their status under international law;

emphasize that restrictions and attacks on freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov along with the Russian Federation's militarization of the Crimean Peninsula, and its use of the peninsula as a military base for launching the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, pose a threat to regional and global security and undermine international trade, energy security and food security;

express our conviction that the liberation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol is integral to restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity and is an essential prerequisite for restoring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace and strengthening international security;

condemn reported violations of international humanitarian law and human rights by Russian authorities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine documented by international monitoring mechanisms, including unlawful detentions, torture, enforced disappearances, politically motivated persecution, discrimination, restrictions on fundamental freedoms;

condemn deportation and forcible transfer, illegal adoptions, Russification, indoctrination and militarization of Ukrainian children organized by the Russian Federation, reported extensively by international monitoring organizations, and emphasize the need for their safe, unconditional and earliest possible return to Ukraine;

reaffirm the urgent need to protect the rights of Ukrainians, the Crimean Tatar people and other Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine, and to preserve their cultural, linguistic, religious and historical heritage in the face of reports of the Russian Federation's targeted discriminatory policy in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine aimed at their assimilation;

condemn any attempt to forcibly alter the demographic composition of the population in the territory of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation;

condemn the Russian Federation's appropriation of cultural property, destruction of cultural heritage, exploitation of natural resources, degradation of the environment, and use of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to circumvent international sanctions and conduct illegal economic activities;

emphasize the need to ensure full accountability for any war crimes and other grave international crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. To this end, we support the activities of international judicial and other relevant mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, the European Court of Human Rights and other institutions, to ensure accountability for international crimes and violations of international law, and encourage further sustained efforts within the framework of the Council of Europe, towards the operationalization of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and the International Claims Commission for Ukraine; 

support international efforts aimed at making financial resources available to support and rebuild Ukraine and to compensate for the damage caused by the Russian Federation's armed aggression;

reaffirm the important role of the International Crimea Platform as a mechanism for coordinating international efforts aimed at the liberation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the protection of human rights, the preservation of cultural heritage and the pursuit of international accountability;

emphasize the importance of further strengthening international solidarity with Ukraine and enhancing coordinated international efforts within the International Crimea Platform.

We call upon the international community to take resolute, coordinated and consistent action, in particular to:

• сall on Russia to end all temporary occupation and  illegal annexation  of the territory of Ukraine, in line with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly;
• strengthen international sanctions against the Russian Federation, including against individuals, companies and sectors involved in waging the armed aggression against Ukraine, illegally occupying part of the territory of Ukraine, operating the so-called "shadow fleet" or circumventing sanctions, and enhance international coordination to prevent sanctions circumvention; 
• ensure in accordance with international humanitarian law the protection of the civilian population in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, an end to any repression against its residents, and access to that territory for international monitoring;
• step up international efforts to secure the release of all civilians and political prisoners unlawfully detained and held by the Russian Federation in connection with its armed aggression against Ukraine, and ensure that they receive appropriate humanitarian assistance, medical care and protection;
• step up international efforts to ensure the safe and unconditional return to Ukraine of Ukrainian children unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred by the Russian Federation;
• intensify international efforts aimed at countering Russia`s policy of forced assimilation, indoctrination and altering Ukrainian identity of children and youth in the temporary occupied territory of Ukraine, as well as systemic militarization of the educational process;
• continue documenting alleged violations of international law committed by the Russian Federation in order to establish the evidentiary basis needed to hold perpetrators accountable and restore justice;
• strengthen the protection of Ukraine's cultural heritage, support the civilian population of Ukraine affected by the Russian Federation's armed aggression, and strengthen international solidarity with Ukraine;
• promote support for the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies, of which Crimean Tatar studies are an integral component, with a view to strengthening the presence of Ukrainian studies in the global academic community and advancing international research on Ukraine, including Crimea;
• enhance the exchange of expertise to develop joint mechanisms for countering any foreign interference and manipulation of information employed by the Russian Federation  as part of its armed aggression against Ukraine, the temporary occupation and an attempted illegal annexation of part of the territory of Ukraine, and share best practices for overcoming the consequences of occupation;
• make every effort to end the temporary occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine, restore its territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, including its territorial sea, and strengthen the international legal order.

We demand that the Russian Federation immediately cease its armed aggression against Ukraine and withdraw all its troops and occupation administrations from the entire temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in accordance with international law.

We call upon States and international organizations to join the International Crimea Platform and participate in its activities, and upon partners to broaden their participation in the Platform, contribute to the achievement of its aims and objectives, and jointly increase international pressure on the Russian Federation with a view to restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, including its territorial sea.

We reaffirm our readiness to continue providing Ukraine with political, diplomatic, economic, humanitarian and other support, and to support a restoration of the comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine in accordance with international law, in particular the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

We reaffirm our collective determination to act in a coordinated, consistent and united manner to ensure that the Russian Federation is held accountable for its internationally wrongful acts, to stand up for the international legal order, and to uphold the respect for a system of international relations based on international law, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

We are convinced that the liberation of the entirety of Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, and the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders, including its territorial sea, are crucial steps for restoring international peace and security, strengthening the international legal order, and ensuring respect for the fundamental norms of international law.