Ukrainian president names return of Crimea as mandatory for peace

MOSCOW (AA) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv's taking back of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, is a mandatory option for peace.

Addressing the servicemen in Kyiv at an iftar, the fast-breaking meal during Muslim holy month of Ramadan, on Friday evening, Zelenskyy said this option has no alternative "either for Ukraine or for the entire world."

Ukraine will get Crimea back because Russia will lose, he added.

The Crimean peninsula will return to Ukraine, it is necessary "for the order in the world based on conventions and the UN Charter," he stressed.

"I believe that prayers for peace for our entire land will be answered without exception. Ukraine deserves it just like all other countries where God has blessed the earth with life.

"We will return to Crimea – and then peace will return, because the aggressor will lose. The victory of Ukraine will mean the victory of life – the life of Ukrainians of all faiths, different origins, but with one dream and faith – with faith in the good," Zelenskyy said.

In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, a move widely viewed as illegal by the international community, including Türkiye and the UN General Assembly.