Crimea is a focus of discussions to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Here's why it's so coveted

Winnipeg Free Press

24-04-2025

Russia's illegal seizure of Crimea from Ukraine 11 years ago was quick and bloodless. But Kyiv — and most of the world — never recognized Moscow's annexation of the strategic peninsula, which is now a major focus of U.S.-led efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at Ukraine's president Wednesday, accusing Volodymyr Zelenskyy of prolonging the 'killing field' after he insisted he would not give up any Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, to Russia as part of a potential peace plan.
'There is nothing to talk about. It is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people,' he said.
Trump called Zelenskyy's pushback 'very harmful' to talks.
'Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn't they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?' he wrote on social media.
During Trump's first term, the U.S. said it would never recognize Crimea as Russian.
How did Russia seize Crimea?
In 2013-14, a massive popular uprising gripped Ukraine for weeks, eventually forcing pro-Moscow President Victor Yanukovich from office.
With Ukraine engulfed in turmoil, Russian President Vladimir Putin pounced, sending troops to overrun Crimea, a diamond-shaped peninsula in the Black Sea that Russia has long coveted.
The armed troops appeared in Crimea in uniforms without insignia, and Putin soon called a vote on joining Russia that Ukraine and the West dismissed as illegal.
Russia's relations with the West plummeted to new lows. The United States, the European Union and other countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and its officials.
Moscow's illegal annexation of Crimea on March 18, 2014, was only recognized internationally by countries such as North Korea and Sudan. In Russia, it touched off a wave of patriotism, and 'Krym nash!' — 'Crimea is ours!' — became a rallying cry.
The move sent Putin's popularity soaring. His approval rating, which had declined to 65% in January 2014, shot to 86% in June, according to the Levada Center, an independent Russian pollster.
Putin has called Crimea 'a sacred place,' and has prosecuted those who publicly argue it is part of Ukraine — particularly Crimean Tatars, who strongly opposed the annexation.
What happened after the annexation?
Weeks after the annexation, fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine between pro-Kremlin militias and Kyiv's forces. Moscow threw its weight behind the insurgents, even though the Kremlin denied supporting them with troops and weapons. There was abundant evidence to the contrary, including a Dutch court's finding that a Russia-supplied air defense system shot down a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, killing all 298 people aboard.
Russian hard-liners later criticized Putin for failing to capture all of Ukraine that year, arguing it was easily possible at a time when the government in Kyiv was in disarray and its military in shambles.
The fighting in eastern Ukraine continued, on and off, until February 2022, when Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Why is Crimea important?
Crimea's unique location makes it a strategically important asset, and Russia has spent centuries fighting for it.
The peninsula was home to Turkic-speaking Tatars when the Russian empire first annexed it in the 18th century. It briefly regained independence two centuries later before being swallowed by the Soviet Union.
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred Crimea from Russia to Ukraine in 1954, when both were part of the USSR, to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the unification of Moscow and Kyiv. In 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed, the peninsula became part of newly independent Ukraine.
Russia kept a foot in the door, however: Its Black Sea Fleet had a base in the city of Sevastopol, and Crimea — as part of Ukraine — continued to host it.
By the time Russia annexed it in 2014, it had been a part of Ukraine for 60 years and had become part of the country's identity.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to retake it and said that Russia 'won't be able to steal' the peninsula.
For either side, possession of Crimea is key to control over activities in the Black Sea — a critical corridor for the world's grain, among other goods.
What role does Crimea play in Russia's war in Ukraine?
Ahead of its full-scale invasion, Moscow deployed troops and weapons to Crimea, allowing Russian forces to quickly seize large parts of southern Ukraine in the first weeks of the war.
A top Russian military official later said that securing a land corridor from Russia to Crimea by holding the occupied parts of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions was among the key goals of what the Kremlin insisted on calling its 'special military operation' in Ukraine.
Before the invasion, Zelenskyy focused on diplomatic efforts to get Crimea back, but after Russian troops poured across the border, Kyiv started publicly contemplating retaking the peninsula by force.
The peninsula soon became a battleground, with Ukraine launching drone attacks and bombing it to try to dislodge Moscow's hold on the territory.
The attacks targeted the Russian Black Sea Fleet there, as well as ammunition depots, air fields and Putin's prized asset — the Kerch Bridge linking Crimea to Russia, which was struck in October 2022 and again in July 2023.
How does Crimea factor into peace efforts?
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said this week that Washington 'issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it's time for them to either say 'yes' or for the United States to walk away from this process.'
He told reporters during a visit to India that it was 'a very fair proposal' that would 'freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today,' though both sides would have to give up some territory they currently hold. He did not provide details.
While Trump said that 'nobody' is asking Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian territory, it's not clear whether the U.S. proposal would see Washington recognize it as such — in what would be a reversal of years of its own foreign policy.
In 2017, Trump's then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson declared at a meeting also attended by Russia's top diplomat: 'We will never accept Russia's occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea.' The following year, his successor, Mike Pompeo, reiterated that the U.S. rejected the attempted annexation.
Zelenskyy on Wednesday pointed out Pompeo's statement in a post on X, adding: 'We are absolutely sure that our partners in particular the USA will act in line with its strong decisions.'
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Putin, however, listed Ukraine's recognition of Crimea as part of Russia among Moscow's demands for peace in June 2024. Those also include Ukraine ceding four regions Russia illegally annexed in 2022, dropping its bid to join NATO, keeping the country's nonnuclear status, restricting its military force and protecting the interests of the Russian-speaking population.
Kyiv has rejected ceding territory as a nonstarter.
Russia currently holds roughly 20% of Ukrainian land, including Crimea, so any deal that freezes the lines more or less where they are would benefit Moscow.
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Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine