On August 23, 2021, the inaugural summit of the International Crimean Platform was held in Kyiv at the initiative of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Crimean Platform is a new international consultation and coordination format initiated by Ukraine. Its goal is to strengthen the effectiveness of the international response to the occupation of Crimea, address growing security threats, increase international pressure on Russia, prevent further human rights violations, protect the victims of the occupation regime, and ultimately achieve the main objective — the de-occupation of Crimea.

On February 26, 2021, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the Decree “On Certain Measures Aimed at the De-occupation and Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol,” which established the Organizing Committee for preparing and holding the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform in Ukraine.

Representatives of 47 countries and international organizations took part in the first inaugural summit, confirming their joint position: Crimea is Ukraine. A Joint Declaration was also adopted, reaffirming commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and internationally recognized borders, condemning Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, and denouncing ongoing human rights violations on the peninsula, including restrictions on freedom of assembly, expression, religion, as well as the persecution of journalists and human rights defenders.

Participants of the Platform called on Russia to fulfill its obligations as an occupying power, ensure the rights of ethnic and religious communities, stop the settlement of its citizens and the militarization of the peninsula, and grant access to international monitoring missions.

Countries confirmed their determination to maintain the policy of non-recognition of the occupation, coordinate international efforts to restore Ukraine’s control over Crimea, and apply diplomatic, economic, and legal instruments of pressure on the Russian Federation.

The geography of participating countries and international organizations expands every year. For example, last year, Argentina, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance joined the governmental format of the Crimean Platform for the first time.

As a result of the 2024 summit, more than 60 foreign states and international organizations supported Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, expressed support for President Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula, and assured further assistance to Ukraine in resisting Russian aggression.

The Crimean Platform operates on a permanent basis. Its office is located in Kyiv within the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

The International Crimean Platform is a platform of global solidarity and determination in upholding the principles of international law. Its strength lies in unity and joint action. We call on partners to continue joining the Platform’s work, to increase international pressure on the occupying state, and to support Ukraine in the struggle for the de-occupation of Crimea. Only together we can restore justice and ensure the liberation of the peninsula.